Surgery – Respiratory method or device – Means for supplying respiratory gas under positive pressure
Reexamination Certificate
1998-03-27
2001-02-20
Weiss, John G. (Department: 3761)
Surgery
Respiratory method or device
Means for supplying respiratory gas under positive pressure
C128S205110, C128S203240, C137S102000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06189531
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND
This invention relates to an adjustable gas flow regulator device.
There is a requirement in medical care for an adjustable flow regulator which is able to administer ranges of preset flows of typically 0.1 to 15 L/M of oxygen to patients either in care or in the home. The regulator device of the present invention is intended to meet this need as well as being useful in a broad range of applications where an adjustable gas flow is required.
SUMMARY
According to the invention there is provided an adjustable flow regulator device comprising a body, an inlet connector and an outlet connector mounted on said body, regulator means within said body operable to receive gas from said inlet connector and provide a regulated supply, and adjustable flow selector means within said body operable to receive gas from said regulator means and provide an adjustable flow to said outlet connector, said regulator device being characterised in that said flow selector means comprises a passage through which gas flows from said regulator means to said outlet connector and a setting plug adjustably mounted to selectively restrict the passage of gas through said passage, said setting plug having engagement means by which it may be engaged with an externally applied setting tool for adjustment of said plug to obtain the desired gas flow rate through said passage.
In an embodiment of the invention, said setting plug is mounted in a bore formed in a wall of said passage and is movable along said bore so as to protrude into said passage by an adjustable amount to thereby enable the flow through said passage to be adjusted. The plug may be a ready sliding fit in said passage, means being provided for locking the plug in position once set at the desired position by said external tool. Alternatively the plug may be screw threaded within said bore in such a way that said setting tool engages the plug so as to rotate the plug and thereby adjust its setting. A special locking threaded plug may be used, or separate means may be provided for locking the threaded plug in position once set. In the preferred embodiment, the plug is sized so as to be a tight sliding, for example interference, fit in said bore so that, once set, the plug maintains its position in the bore.
In order to enable adjustment by the setting tool, it is preferred that the bore is a through bore and can be brought into alignment with a setting hole in the body through which said setting tool can be applied from the exterior in order to adjust the plug.
To provide for an adjustable flow rate through the valve, the flow selector means preferably further comprises a movable flow selecting member in which is formed a plurality of said passages each having an associated setting plug. Means are further provided for adjusting the position of said flow selecting member in discrete steps at each of which at least one of said passages is in fluid communication with said outlet connector, the remaining passage or passages being blocked. Thus by adjusting the setting plug for each passage to a different gas flow setting, the output gas flow rate can be made adjustable by changing the position of the flow selecting member.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention the flow selecting member is rotatably mounted within said body and is rotated by means of an externally mounted manually adjustable knob. Means are provided for locating said flow selecting member at a plurality of predetermined angular spaced positions, each corresponding to a position at which said at least one passage is in fluid communication with said outlet connector. A further angular position may be provided in which none of the passages are in fluid communication with said outlet connector, this corresponding to the “off” position of the regulator device.
Preferably just a single setting hole is provided in said body, the arrangement being such that, at each of the preset positions of the flow selecting member, at least one of the plug through bores is in alignment with the setting hole to permit adjustment of the flow rate at each position of the flow selecting member. In the case of a rotatably mounted flow selecting member, it is preferred that the plug through bores are oriented approximately radially with respect to the axis of rotation of the flow selecting member so that, as the flow selecting member is rotated to each of its preset angular positions, a different setting plug, having a different adjustment, is brought into alignment with the setting hole.
In the preferred embodiment the setting hole is formed underneath the outlet connector, which latter is detachable from the body, so as to hide the setting hole and thereby discourage tampering when in service. In addition a sealing cover may be fitted over the setting hole to seal the hole once the flow settings have been made. This cover may be a permanent or semi-permanent affair, but preferably it is removable to allow later readjustment of the flow settings, should this prove necessary. Where the setting hole is situated underneath the outlet connector, in the manner just described, the cover can be conveniently such that it is retained in place by the outlet connector, so that when the outlet connector is, removed, the cover can be readily removed to allow adjustment of the settings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4008716 (1977-02-01), Amlong
patent: 4022202 (1977-05-01), Price
patent: 4401116 (1983-08-01), Fry et al.
patent: 5348001 (1994-09-01), Danon
patent: 5619988 (1997-04-01), Mattila et al.
patent: 5755220 (1998-05-01), Ando
patent: 5950623 (1999-09-01), Michell
patent: 2174609 (1986-11-01), None
Martin Todd M.
Protector Technologies BV
Volpe and Koenig P.C.
Weiss John G.
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