Valves and valve actuation – Tube compressors – Pivoting tube contacting element
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-15
2001-03-06
Shaver, Kevin (Department: 3754)
Valves and valve actuation
Tube compressors
Pivoting tube contacting element
C251S009000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06196519
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The Halkey-Roberts clamp is a well-known type of one-piece plastic clamp which is used to close off plastic tubing such as polyvinyl chloride tubing.
While the clamp is in widespread use, certain technical disadvantages are found in the present designs of the clamp. The present clamps comprise a single strip of plastic in which the respective ends are curved towards each other to engage together in a snap-fit, spring relation in which a projection or pair of projections squeezes the tubing shut when the ends of the clamp are snapped together. The tubing can be opened by the separation of the projections when the ends of the clamps are separated.
It is desirable for the clamp in its as-molded, unstressed condition to have ends that are close together so that when large containers of the loose clamps are moved or shaken, the clamps do not hook together by random shaking and movement. At the same time, when this has been done, the tube-squeezing portions of the clamp tend to be close enough together to partially compress tubing placed through the clamp which, over a long period of time, can cause a crease or cleft to develop. This can particularly happen with polyvinyl chloride tubing. This crease can serve as a place where a kink in the tubing can develop during use, which is very undesirable.
As a further disadvantage of current designs of the Halkey-Roberts clamp, as one squeezes the ends of the clamp together to close it into a snap-fit, closed retention, the end of the clamp which carries a retention hook to engage the other end also carries an upstanding flange to facilitate re-opening of the clamp. Persons with long fingernails have substantial difficulty in closing the clamp because of this, while their fingers are pointed generally parallel to the axis of the clamp. Accordingly, such individuals close the clamp with their fingers placed transversely or sideways to the clamp. The effect of this often is to cause a skewing of the clamp ends as they close, leaving the clamp in a closed but twisted, undesirable configuration that may only partially close the tubing and thus permit leakage.
By this invention, an improved squeeze clamp is provided which eliminates the above disadvantages of the presently-used Halkey-Roberts clamp.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
By this invention, a molded squeeze clamp for tubing is provided which comprises a strip of plastic having first and second ends. The strip is bent back on itself, typically having at least a pair of curved sections, so that the ends of the strip are adjacent to each other. The strip defines a pair of spaced apertures to permit a flexible tube to extend through the apertures, to thus be carried by the clamp.
At least one projecting portion is carried by one section of the plastic strip to project inwardly of the curved strip. The purpose of this projecting portion is to press closed and to seal the flexible plastic tube carried by the clamp, by pressing the tube against another section of the strip. An optional second projecting portion may squeeze the tube from the other side.
The first strip end defines a first latch for engagement and releasable locking with the second end. The first end also defines a first projection, which extends towards the second end to reduce or eliminate a gap between the first and second ends when the clamp is in its unstressed, as-molded, open configuration, which is the configuration that permits fluid flow through the tube carried by the clamp. Thus, the presence of the first projection basically eliminates the problem of hooking together of the clamps as discussed above, when the clamps are stored together in a container. The first projection, which may be an extending plate, spaced bars, or the like, closes or reduces the opening between the ends, so that one squeeze clamp does not pass through the respective ends of another squeeze clamp during shaking or other movement of a box of the clamps loosely lying together, thus avoiding the hooking-together problem.
The second end of the clamp defines a second latch for releasable engaging the first latch, when the clamp is in its tube-closing configuration.
Thus, a clamp is provided in which the tube-closing projecting portion may be more widely spaced in open position from the other section of the strip against which it presses to close the tubing, this spacing being of a desirable degree so that the tubing is not partially collapsed and creased through cold flow upon storage over a period of time by the projecting portion in open position. In the situation of the prior art clamps, the spacing between the respective clamp ends would be too great if the tube-closing projecting portion were sufficiently widely spaced from the other strip section. Thus, the prior art has either the serious problem of hooking together of the clamps upon bulk storage, or the serious problem of tube creasing.
By this invention, the presence of the first projection extending from the first end toward the second end keeps any space between the respective ends low or even non-existent, so that a clamp is provided which is free from the hooking-together problem, which can also be free from the problem of the creation of a cold flow crease in the flexible tubing that it carries upon lengthy storage. This cold flow problem is particularly found in polyvinyl chloride tubing.
The squeeze clamp of this invention may also carry a second projection on the second end, to receive a finger for clamp opening. This second projection extends outwardly from the end in a direction which is substantially longitudinal to the direction of extension of tubing carried in the clamp. Thus, the second projection is out of the way of the fingers of the user who is pressing the first end of the clamp into a locking relation with the second end. This means that people with long fingernails do not have to place their fingers laterally or in sideways manner to the clamp as they close the clamp. Thus, the undesirable skewing which may take place in that circumstance can be avoided.
To the contrary, the corresponding component of the main, commercial Halkey-Roberts clamp slopes at a substantial angle to the direction of tubing extension, and thus interferes with opening of the clamp by people with long fingernails.
The second projection is for the purpose of facilitating the manual movement of the second end of the clamp, to release the latch and cause the clamp to spring back to its open, unstressed configuration.
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Bastianelli John
DSU Medical Corporation
Ellis Garrettson
Shaver Kevin
Shaw Seyfarth
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