Surgery – Means for introducing or removing material from body for... – Treating material introduced into or removed from body...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-22
2001-11-06
Seidel, Richard K. (Department: 3763)
Surgery
Means for introducing or removing material from body for...
Treating material introduced into or removed from body...
C604S132000, C604S185000, C417S472000, C417S557000, C222S372000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06312411
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fluid supplying apparatus for continuously and gradually supplying fluid contained within a fluid container and for supplying a predetermined fluid at a stroke as necessary.
More specifically, it relates to a fluid supplying apparatus for continuously supplying medical fluid, transfusion and so on to a living body such as a human body and an animal, for continuously and as necessary supplying plants with water, nutrients (fluid), medical fluid (an insecticide fluid) and so on, and for continuously and as necessary supplying a fish aquarium with medical fluid such as an antibiotic, bait (fluid), nutrients (fluid) for water plants and so on.
2. Description of Related Art
Small quantity of medical fluid such as analgesic drug is continuously given to a patient after operation for alleviating headache and so on in hospitals.
Further, some patients feel pains even when the medical fluid such as analgesic drug is continuously given at a small quantity. In this case, additional predetermined amount of analgesic drug is prescribed by doctors to the patients each time the patient feel the pain.
However, doctors or nurses have to undergo injection or the like for such additional prescription of the medical fluid. Therefore, such treatment can be burden for the doctors and nurses and patients feel pain and anxiety during the treatment.
Accordingly, an apparatus for giving the patients a predetermined amount of medical drug by the patients themselves at one time has been desired in addition to continuous injection of the medical fluid.
An apparatus shown in, for example, published Japanese translations of PCT international publication for patent applications No. Hei 3-505538 is known for such request.
The apparatus has a fluid container containing medical fluid and one flexible capillary connected to the fluid container. Two branch tubes are connected to a distal end of the flexible capillary. A syringe for pushing out a predetermined amount of medical fluid as necessary by handling of the patients is connected to one of the branch tubes, where an outlet tube connected to a medical fluid outlet and the other branch tube are collectively connected to one catheter.
In use, the fluid container is accommodated in a breast pocket of the patient and the catheter is inserted to human body (patient) while the injector is wound around wrist by a band or the like.
Ordinarily, the medical fluid contained in the medical fluid container is continuously injected into the human body little by little through the flexible capillary, the other branch tube and catheter.
When the patient feels pain, the patient himself pushes out the medical fluid reserved in the injector to let the predetermined amount of the medical fluid injected to the patient at a stroke through the medical fluid outlet, the outlet tube and catheter, thereby alleviating the pain.
However, in the conventional arrangement, three tubes cross with each other around the injector when the injector is wound around the wrist in use.
In other words, since the two branch tubes and the outlet tube from the injector cross with each other, it is troublesome for the patient to carry and handle it and pushing operation can be hindered.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a fluid supplying apparatus for solving the above disadvantage of the conventional apparatus where no trouble for carrying is caused and superior usability can be obtained.
To attain the above object, a fluid supplying apparatus according to the present invention includes a fluid container for containing fluid; an upstream tube of which base end is connected to the fluid container for leading the fluid contained in the fluid container; an intermediate station provided at a distal end of the upstream tube; and a downstream tube connected to the intermediate station for introducing the fluid going through the intermediate station. The upstream tube is formed in a predetermined length and having therein at least two flow paths along a longitudinal direction thereof. The intermediate station includes a case provided at the distal end of the upstream tube, the case having a fluid outlet to which the downstream tube is connected, a first communicating channel for intercommunicating the fluid outlet and one of the flow paths of the upstream tube, a reservoir in communication with the other flow path of the upstream tube for storing the fluid introduced through the other flow path, a second communicating channel for intercommunicating the reservoir and the fluid outlet and having a check valve at an intermediate portion thereof, and a discharging means for pushing out the fluid stored in the reservoir to the second communicating channel.
In the present invention, the fluid contained in the fluid container is discharged to the outside from the upstream tube through the first communicating channel of the intermediate station and downstream tube. In this condition, namely, continuous discharge condition, when the fluid stored in the reservoir is pushed out to the second communicating channel by a discharging means, the fluid is discharged from the check valve in the second communicating channel through the downstream tube. In other words, a predetermined amount of fluid can be discharged at a stroke as necessary, while the fluid stored in the reservoir is continuously discharged.
At this time, since only two tubes, i.e. the upstream tube and the downstream tube, are disposed around the intermediate station, no trouble is caused in carrying and superior usability can be obtained.
In the present invention, the two flow paths may have a flow control valve at an intermediate portion thereof and are preferably made of thermoplastic tube elements of a predetermined length having deformed opening cross section.
When the opening cross section is not circular but is deformed, since the deformed hole having the same cross sectional area as a circular hole can have larger edge length forming the hole, in other words, can have larger inner circumference length, precise flow control is possible.
In the present invention, though the connecting direction of the upstream tube and the downstream tube to the intermediate station may be determined according to usage, when the medical fluid to be injected to the human body is contained in the fluid container, the upstream tube and the downstream tube may preferably connected to the same side of the intermediate station.
Accordingly, when the fluid container is accommodated in the breast pocket of the patient and the intermediate station is attached to the wrist by bands and the like, since the upstream tube runs along the arm from the breast pocket to the wrist and the downstream tube runs parallel to the upstream tube, the distal end of the downstream tube can be easily inserted to the arm of the patient. In other words, the distal end of the downstream tube can be inserted to the patient while the respective tubes run approximately along the arm without largely bending or twisting the tubes.
In the present invention, the reservoir is preferably made of a balloon for expanding and contracting in accordance with fill and discharge of the fluid, and the discharging means is preferably made of a pressing member insertable into the case for pressing the balloon when being pressed and returnable to original position thereof for returning to the original position in accordance with fill of the fluid into the balloon.
Accordingly, when the pressing member is pushed into the case, the balloon is contracted to discharge the fluid thereinside. When the fluid is filled in the balloon while releasing the press by the pressing member, the pressing member returns to original position, thereby conducting discharge of the fluid from the balloon and fill of the fluid into the balloon with a simple arrangement.
In the above arrangement, a guide wall to be flat with an upper face of the pressing member when the pressing member returns to the original positi
Aubex Corporation
Lowe Hauptman & Gilman & Berner LLP
Rodriguez Cris L.
Seidel Richard K.
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