Medical connector
AssigneeTerumo Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsYasuhiro Ueda, Takeshi Toyama
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A medical connector of the present invention is characterized in that: when a male connector portion is inserted into a female connector portion, a first locking portion is engaged with the female connector portion to achieve a first locked state as well as a second locked state; when the second locked state is released by operation of a second unlock operating portion and the female connector portion is moved in a disengagement direction with respect to the male connector portion, the locking member is moved in the disengagement direction together with the female connector portion while keeping the first locked state; and when the female connector portion is rotated with respect to the male connector portion, the first locked state is released.
Claims19
A medical connector comprising:
- a connector body comprising a male connector portion and a cover portion surrounding an outer periphery of the male connector portion;
- a locking member located inside the cover portion and being movable with respect to the cover portion within a predetermined range in a direction along an axis of the male connector portion, the locking member comprising a first locking portion;
- a second locking portion;
- and
- a second unlock operating portion;
- wherein the first locking portion is configured to engage with a female connector portion of another medical connector and to bring the female connector portion into a first locked state,
- wherein the second locking portion is configured to, while the female connector is in the first locked state, bring the female connector portion into a second locked state in which the female connector portion cannot be moved in a disengagement direction with respect to the male connector portion,
- wherein the second unlock operating portion is configured to release the female connector from the second locked state,
- wherein, when the male connector portion is inserted into the female connector portion, the female connector portion is brought into the first locked state and the second locked state,
- wherein, when the second locked state is released by operation of the second unlock operating portion, and the female connector portion is moved in the disengagement direction with respect to the male connector portion, the locking member is moved in the disengagement direction together with the female connector portion while the first locked state is maintained, and
- wherein, when the female connector portion is rotated with respect to the male connector portion, the first locked state is released.
A method of connecting a medical connector to another connector, the method comprising:
- providing a medical connector comprising:
- a connector body comprising a male connector portion and a cover portion surrounding an outer periphery of the male connector portion;
- a locking member located inside the cover portion and being movable with respect to the cover portion within a predetermined range in a direction along an axis of the male connector portion, the locking member comprising a first locking portion;
- a second locking portion;
- and
- a second unlock operating portion;
- wherein the first locking portion is configured to engage with a female connector portion of another medical connector and to bring the female connector portion into a first locked state,
- wherein the second locking portion is configured to, while the female connector is in the first locked state, bring the female connector portion into a second locked state in which the female connector portion cannot be moved in a disengagement direction with respect to the male connector portion, and
- wherein the second unlock operating portion is configured to release the female connector from the second locked state;
- inserting the male connector portion into the female connector portion such that the female connector portion is brought into the first locked state and the second locked state;
- releasing the second locked state by operating the second unlock operating portion, and moving the female connector portion in the disengagement direction with respect to the male connector portion, such that the locking member is moved in the disengagement direction together with the female connector portion while the first locked state is maintained;
- and
- rotating the female connector portion with respect to the male connector portion such that the first locked state is released.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.