US 6,161,539 AGranted

Spring piloted safety valve with jet venturi bias

AssigneeNellcor Puritan Bennett LLC

InventorDavid P. Winter

Life of this patent

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Abstract

The lung ventilator safety valve includes a valve housing, an armature connected to the valve housing, a shaft mounted at one end to the armature and having a poppet valve seal on the other end for sealing the vent in a valve closed position and for allowing a relief flow in a valve open position. An electromagnetic coil mounted to the valve housing adjacent to the armature when energized urges the armature to the armature closed position, and a return spring urges the armature to an open position. The poppet valve seal has an aperture extending through the poppet valve seal, so that when there is relief flow through the safety valve vent, the relief flow across the poppet valve seal creates a jet venturi effect to cause a negative pressure on the side of the poppet valve seal opposite the relief flow that biases the safety valve to open further.

Claims3

Dependent claims

A lung ventilator safety valve for relieving pressure from a patient airway of a ventilator system, said safety valve comprising:

a valve housing fluidly connected to a vent in the patient airway, said vent having a valve seat;
a valve seal adjacent and parallel to the valve seat of the vent for allowing a relief flow from the vent in a valve open position and for sealing the vent in a valve closed position;
a pilot spring urging said valve seal to the valve closed position to seal the vent, whereby said valve seal will move to the valve open position to allow the relief flow when pressure within the patient airway exceeds the biasing force of the pilot spring, to protect a patient from excess pressure in the patient airway;
said valve seal being attached to a flexible diaphragm extending to the valve housing around the valve seal forming a chamber in the valve housing, a surface of the valve seal defining an aperture extending through the valve seal, whereby when there is relief flow through the safety valve vent, the relief flow across the flexible diaphragm creates a venturi effect resulting in a negative pressure on the opposing side of the diaphragm that biases the safety valve to open further.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 09/262,973Filed 5 Mar 1999 · continuation
Priority: 13 Mar 1997
Granted: 19 Dec 2000
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification4 codes

A61M 16/20
Devices for influencing the respiratory system of patients by gas treatment, e.g. ventilators ; Tracheal tubes: valves specially adapted to…
A61M 16/202
Controlled valves: electrically actuated
A61M 16/209
Non-controlled one-way valves, e.g. exhalation, check, pop-off non-rebreathing valves: relief valves
A61M
Devices for delivering substances into the body

Family

Serial818,104Parent of this continuation · filed 13 Mar 1997
Serial115,380Parent of this continuation · filed 14 Jul 1998
US 5,884,623 AParent of this continuation
US 5,791,339 AParent of this continuation
US 6,161,539 AThis patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.