US 7,350,535 B2Granted

Valve

AssigneeGL Tool and Manufacturing Co. Inc.

InventorsGerhard Liepold, Dietrich Bizer

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A valve apparatus (100) for use in sterile fluid transfer or isolator systems has open entry (10) and exit (11) sides and a passageway (9) for fluid between the entry (10) and the exit (11) sides. The entry side (10) is connectable to an opening (4c) of a vessel or pipe (4) and the exit side (11) is connectable to downstream processing by means such as tubing, a vessel or a pipe. The entry side (10) includes a rupturable seal (2a) blocking the open entry side (10). Valve (100) also includes an actuator (5) attached to a piston (1) which moves within the valve (100), the piston being connected to the seal so that on movement of the piston, the seal is torn free from the entry side thereby allowing fluid gain entry to the valve (100) and to pass along the passageway (9) between the open entry (10) and exit (11) sides to downstream processing.

Claims31

Dependent claims

A valve comprising a body having first and second open ends and a passageway for fluid between the ends, said first end including a coupling means for sealingly connecting said body about an opening of an external device and a seal blocking said open area of said first end which in use is placeable in register with said opening of said external device, said valve further including a seal displacement means movable within said body so as to interrupt said seal permitting fluid to pass along the passageway between said ends, said coupling means and seal presenting an external sterilisable mating surface for sealingly mating with a mating surface about said opening in said external device;

in which said displacement means comprises a means for rupturing said seal so as to allow fluid communication between said interiors of said body and said external device;
in which said rupturing means is arranged to break said seal by gripping it through mutually engageable gripping means and withdrawing said seal or a portion of it away from said mating surface;
in which said mutually engageable gripping means are provided on said seal and rupturing means and said rupturing means is moveable within said body of said valve in a direction from said first end toward said second end so that on movement of said rupturing means, said gripped seal is broken free from said coupling means and withdrawn into the interior of said body;
and
in which said rupturing means comprises a hollow piston which has an open end comprising said second open end of said valve body.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 10/512,510Filed 25 Apr 2003 · us provisional application
Priority: 26 Apr 2002
Published: US 2005/0150546 A114 Jul 2005
Granted: 1 Apr 2008
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification14 codes

A61M 39/16
Tube connectors or tube couplings: having provision for disinfection or sterilisation
A61M 39/10
Tubes, tube connectors, tube couplings, valves, access sites or the like, specially adapted for medical use: tube connectors or tube couplings
A61M 39/18
Having provision for disinfection or sterilisation: methods or apparatus for making the connection under sterile conditions, i.e. sterile docking
A61M 39/22
Tubes, tube connectors, tube couplings, valves, access sites or the like, specially adapted for medical use: valves or arrangement of valves