Drip chamber assembly
AssigneeCareFusion 303, Inc.
InventorsHuntington WOODMAN, Kelly Kloster Hon, Ryan Callahan, Leyla Yamin
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Drip chamber assemblies are described herein. A drip chamber assembly includes a drip chamber and a filter. The drip chamber includes a chamber body defining a chamber volume. The filter is disposed within the chamber volume. The filter includes a folded filter media, which defines an inlet portion of the chamber volume and an outlet portion of the chamber volume. The folded filter media permits inlet flow from the inlet portion of the chamber volume to the outlet portion of the chamber volume. The folded filter media captures particulate from the inlet flow.
Claims20
A drip chamber assembly, comprising:
- a drip chamber comprising a chamber body defining a chamber volume, the chamber body being deformable;
- a filter disposed within the chamber volume and free floating relative to the drip chamber, the filter having a generally cylindrical shape and comprising:
- a folded filter media defining an inlet portion of the chamber volume and an outlet portion of the chamber volume, the outlet portion of the chamber volume formed between the folded filter media and the chamber body, the folded filter media permitting inlet flow from the inlet portion of the chamber volume to move radially outward to the outlet portion of the chamber volume and capturing particulate from the inlet flow;
- and
- a frame comprising an upper frame and a lower frame, the upper frame and the lower frame maintaining a shape of the filter within the chamber volume, the upper frame sealing against the chamber body to direct the inlet flow to a radially inner portion of the folded filter media, and the lower frame comprising an endplate that prevents the inlet flow from bypassing the folded filter media.
A drip chamber assembly, comprising:
- a drip chamber comprising a chamber body defining a chamber volume, the chamber body being deformable and formed from a resilient material;
- a filter disposed within the chamber volume and free floating relative to the drip chamber, the filter comprising:
- a folded filter media surrounding an inlet portion of the chamber volume, the folded filter media defining the inlet portion and an outlet portion of the chamber volume, the outlet portion formed between the folded filter media and the chamber body, the folded filter media permitting inlet flow to move radially outward from the inlet portion to the outlet portion and capturing particulate from the inlet flow;
- and
- a frame to support the folded filter media, the frame comprising:
- an upper frame comprising a continuous sealing exterior circumferential surface that seals against the chamber body to direct the inlet flow to a radially inner portion of the folded filter media;
- and
- a lower frame disposed on raised protrusions defined within the chamber body, the raised protrusions spacing the lower frame apart from the chamber body to define a flow path from the outlet portion of the chamber volume to an outlet of the drip chamber.
A method of providing a drip chamber assembly, the method comprising:
- forming a deformable chamber body defining a chamber volume;
- disposing a filter within the chamber volume such that the filter is free floating relative to the chamber body, the filter having a generally cylindrical shape and comprising a folded filter media and a frame, the frame comprising an upper frame and a lower frame;
- supporting the folded filter media between the upper frame and the lower frame, the lower frame comprising an endplate positioned to prevent fluid flow from bypassing the folded filter media;
- positioning the folded filter media within the chamber volume to define an inlet portion of the chamber volume and an outlet portion of the chamber volume between the folded filter media and the chamber body, such that the folded filter media permits inlet flow to move radially outward from the inlet portion to the outlet portion;
- and
- sealing a continuous exterior circumferential surface of the upper frame against the chamber body to direct inlet flow to a radially inner portion of the folded filter media.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.