Auto shut off male luer fitting
AssigneeCareFusion 303, Inc.
InventorsRyan CALLAHAN, Todd ODA, George MANSOUR
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A medical connector may include a body having an outer surface and an inner surface defining a lumen of the body, an inlet port defined at a proximal end of the body, and an outlet port defined at a distal end of the body. The medical connector may further include a compressible valve member comprising a normally closed slit and disposed in the lumen and extending through the inner surface and outer surface of the body to an exterior of the medical connector. The compressible valve member may be configured to compress radially inward to open the slit upon insertion of the body into a medical access device, and expand radially outward to close the slit upon disconnection of the body from the medical access device.
Claims20
A connector assembly, comprising:
- a female luer comprising an outer surface and an inner surface, the inner surface defining a lumen of the female luer;
- and
- a male luer comprising a body and a compressible valve member, the body having an outer surface, an inner surface defining a lumen of the body, and an opening extending from the inner surface to the outer surface of the body, and the compressible valve member comprising a normally closed slit and an outer surface, wherein the compressible valve member is positioned in the lumen of the body with a portion of the outer surface of the compressible valve member extending through the opening from the lumen of the body to the outer surface of the body, and the normally closed slit in a closed position,
- wherein, when the male luer is positioned at least partially within the lumen of the female luer, at least a portion of the outer surface of the compressible valve member that extends through the opening is engaged against the inner surface of the female luer such that the normally closed slit is in an open position.
A method of providing a connector assembly, the method comprising:
- providing a male luer comprising a body having an outer surface, an inner surface defining a lumen of the body, and an opening extending from the inner surface to the outer surface of the body;
- providing a compressible valve member comprising a normally closed slit within the lumen of the body such that a portion of the outer surface of the compressible valve member extends through the opening from the lumen of the body to the outer surface of the body, and the normally closed slit in a closed position;
- and
- providing a female luer comprising an outer surface and an inner surface, the inner surface defining a lumen of the female luer configured to receive the male luer therein.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.