System for enhanced sealing of coupled connectors
AssigneeBlue I.V. LLC
InventorSheila Buchanan
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system for enhanced sealing of coupled medical lines includes a male fitting, a female fitting, and a flexible annular collar seal. The seal provides a sealing function to an open end of the connector. The male fitting is made of medical grade materials and includes a male connector fluidly coupled to a first line. The female fitting is made of medical grade materials and including a female connector fluidly coupled to a second line and configured to mate with the male connector. The seal is made of a medical grade polymer coupled to one or both the male fitting and the female fitting.
Claims21
A system for enhanced sealing of coupled medical lines, the system comprising:
- a male fitting made of medical grade materials and including a male connector for fluidly coupling to a first line;
- a female fitting made of medical grade materials and including a female connector for fluidly coupling to a second line and configured to mate with the male connector;
- and
- an external, self-retained flexible collar seal made of a medical grade polymer normally seated around an exterior end and exterior surface of at least the male fitting,
- wherein the seal provides a sealing function to an open end of one or both of the male fitting and the female fitting and the collar seal is self-retained so that no additional member is required to retain the seal on the male fitting during use.
A system for enhanced sealing of coupled medical lines, the system comprising:
- a male fitting made of medical grade materials and including a male connector for fluidly coupling to a first line;
- a female fitting made of medical grade materials and including a female connector for fluidly coupling to a second line and configured to mate with the male connector;
- and
- a flexible collar seal made of a medical grade polymer coupled to at least the male fitting,
- wherein the seal provides a sealing function to an open end of one or both of the male fitting and the female fitting,
- wherein the seal has an outer sealing lip and an inner sealing lip, with the outer sealing lip configured to circumscribe and seal against the male fitting and the inner sealing lip configured to deformably permit passage of the female fitting through the inner sealing lip.
A connector element for medical use comprising:
- a male connector for mating with an opening of a female connector, said male connector having an opening;
- and
- an external self-retained seal seated around and covering an exterior surface of an exterior end having the opening of the male connector,
- wherein when the male connector is inserted in an opening of the female connector, the connector element is sealed to deter the entry of foreign materials into the connector element, and the seal is self-retained so that no additional member is needed to retain the seal on the male connector.
A seal for enhanced sealing of coupled medical lines that include a male fitting made of medical grade materials and a female fitting for mating with the male fitting made of medical grade materials, the seal comprising:
- a flexible collar seal having an outer sealing lip and an inner sealing lip, with the outer sealing lip configured to circumscribe and seal against the male fitting and the inner sealing lip configured to deformably permit passage of the female fitting through the inner sealing lip, said collar seal made of a medical grade polymer shaped to seat around en an exterior surface of a male or a female fitting, wherein the collar seal has color changing properties that signal when the seal has encountered a liquid, with the color changing properties being provided by a coating of a hydrochromic material, and/or by a collar seal that is made in whole or part of a hydrochromic material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.