Valves and valve actuation – With correlated flow path – Pipe coupling or union
Reexamination Certificate
2000-07-28
2001-12-11
Shaver, Kevin (Department: 3784)
Valves and valve actuation
With correlated flow path
Pipe coupling or union
C137S507000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06328280
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to gas flow control devices and, more particularly, to a compact, pressure regulated gas flow control valve.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Precisely calibrated pressure reducing and gas-metering devices (regulators) are commonly used in the medical, emergency and home health care industries for delivering oxygen to patients in need thereof Most regulators are attached to a high pressure oxygen tank via standardized mechanical connections as set forth in the Compressed Gas Associations standards.
In the prior art, see
FIG. 1
, a “t-handle” is typically the mechanical fastener or attachment device of choice for securing the regulator to a “post valve”. The post valve is attached to a high pressure gas tank. The post valve provides a convenient and reliable mechanical attachment mechanism for securing a regulator to a gas tank. Metered gas flow is usually delivered to the patient via a resilient flexible hollow tubing or hose. The tubing is attached to the regulator by forcing the tubing onto a tapered fitting having ridges thereon that aid in retaining the hose on the fitting.
It is not uncommon for the resilient tubing to become wrapped around or tangled on the t-handle of the regulator. Such tangling of the hose is very inconvenient to users of such devices. In an emergency scenario, precious time may be lost in providing gas to a patient as a medical assistant attempts to disentangle the tubing from the t-handle.
Further, service failures of regulators are, at times, attributable to over-tightening of the t-handle by the user. Such a failure requires return of the regulator to the manufacturer for repair.
What is needed is an attachment mechanism or fastener for securing a regulator to a high pressure gas tank that minimizes the likelihood of ensnaring resilient hoses or tubing typically used in the medical and home health care industry to deliver oxygen to a patient. Further, the fastener should limit the torque that a user may impart to the threaded rod or shaft of the fastener to prevent inadvertent damage to the regulator when attaching the regulator to a source of high pressure gas, be the source of high pressure gas a high pressure gas tank or a distributed high pressure gas system in a hospital.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A gas pressure regulator with torque limiting attachment device, according to one aspect of the present invention, comprises a body having a first aperture therethrough sized to receive a substantially rectangular pressure tank post valve, the body further including a mounting aperture having machining threads formed therein and in fluid communication with the first aperture, an inlet passage in fluid communication with the first aperture and an outlet passage in fluid communication with the inlet passage, regulator means disposed in the outlet passage for reducing gas pressure presented at the inlet passage, the regulator means supplying regulated gas pressure at the outlet passage, a threaded rod having a proximate end, a distal end and external threads formed on the lateral external surface thereof, the external threads mating with the machining threads of the mounting aperture, the proximate end of the rod being rotationally inserted into the mounting aperture of the body to secure the body to a pressure tank, a disk attached to the distal end of the threaded rod at the radial center of the disk, the rod extending perpendicularly from one surface of the disk, and a hollow cylindrical member having an open first end, an open second end, and having an internal diameter sized larger than the body, and wherein the first end of the cylindrical member is disposed over and around the body and the second end of the cylindrical member is attached to the disk.
A compressed gas pressure regulator device, according to another aspect of the present invention, comprises a body having a first aperture therethrough sized to receive a substantially rectangular pressure tank post valve, the body further including a mounting aperture having machining threads formed therein and in fluid communication with the first aperture, an inlet passage in fluid communication with the first aperture and an outlet passage in fluid communication with the inlet passage, regulator means disposed in the outlet passage for reducing gas pressure presented at the inlet passage, the regulator means supplying regulated gas pressure at the outlet passage, a threaded rod having a proximate end, a distal end and external threads formed on the lateral external surface thereof, the external threads mating with the machining threads of the mounting aperture, the proximate end of the rod being rotationally inserted into the mounting aperture of the body to secure the body to a pressure tank, a hollow cylindrical member having an open end and a closed end, and having an internal diameter sized larger than the body, and wherein the open end of the cylindrical member is disposed over and around the body, and means for limiting torque disposed between and attached to the distal end of the threaded rod and the cylindrical member, the means for limiting torque transmitting no more than a predetermined amount of tightening torque from the cylindrical member to the threaded rod.
One object of the present invention is to provide an improved compressed gas regulation device.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a compressed gas regulator device that minimizes the likelihood of entangling gas hoses and the like in the device.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a compressed gas regulator device that includes a mechanism for limiting the tightening torque the user may apply when attaching the regulator to a source of compressed gas such as a pressure tank.
These and other object of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments.
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patent: 5509407 (1996-04-01), Schuler
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patent: 5775368 (1998-07-01), Morino
patent: 5899223 (1999-05-01), Schuman, Jr.
patent: 5921234 (1999-07-01), Garofalo
patent: 6082396 (2000-07-01), Davidson
patent: 6148841 (2000-11-01), Davidson
Brant Kyle S.
Keasel Eric
Shaver Kevin
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