Spool valve for body cavity irrigation devices
AssigneeHollister Incorporated
InventorMatthew J. Hanlon
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A spool valve for use in a hydraulic control circuit of a trans-anal irrigation device, with the spool valve including a valve body having an elongated bore and a plurality of ports spaced apart along and in fluid communication with the bore, and a spool that is movable within the bore. An actuator moves the spool relative to the bore to provide a hydraulic control circuit that directs fluid in a tubing set to provide at least fluid communication alternatively between a reservoir and a retention balloon, between and the reservoir and a main passage through a catheter, and between the retention balloon and the reservoir.
Claims13
A method of establishing fluid paths through a spool valve in a hydraulic control circuit of a trans-anal irrigation device, wherein the trans-anal irrigation device includes a pump with at least one pump inlet and at least one pump outlet, wherein the spool valve comprises a valve body having an elongated bore and a plurality of ports spaced apart along and in fluid communication with the bore, and a spool that is movable within the bore, and wherein the plurality of ports further comprises a first port associated with the at least one pump outlet, a second port associated with a reservoir, a third port associated with the at least one pump inlet, a fourth port associated with the at least one pump inlet, a fifth port associated with a retention balloon lumen, a sixth port associated with the at least one pump outlet, and a seventh port associated with an irrigant lumen;
- with the method comprising the steps of:
- moving the spool to a first position within the bore of the valve body wherein the second port is in fluid communication with the third port and the fifth port is in fluid communication with the sixth port, so as to establish fluid paths through the spool valve from the reservoir to the at least one pump inlet and from the at least one pump outlet to the retention balloon lumen;
- moving the spool to a second position within the bore of the valve body wherein the second port is in fluid communication with the third and fourth ports and the sixth port is in fluid communication with the seventh port, so as to establish fluid paths through the spool valve from the reservoir to the at least one pump inlet and from the at least one pump outlet to the irrigant lumen;
- and
- moving the spool to a third position within the bore of the valve body wherein the first port is in fluid communication with the second port and the fourth port is in fluid communication with the fifth port, so as to establish fluid paths through the spool valve from the retention balloon lumen to the at least one pump inlet and from the at least one pump outlet to the reservoir.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.