Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture – Surface bonding means and/or assembly means therefor – Indefinite or running length flexible strand – rod – tube – or...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-10
2002-01-29
Yao, Sam Chuan (Department: 1733)
Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture
Surface bonding means and/or assembly means therefor
Indefinite or running length flexible strand, rod, tube, or...
C156S499000, C156S503000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06341637
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tube connecting apparatus for heating and melting to cut flexible tubes and connecting the tubes by mutually welding the cut end faces thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
According to a conventional tube connecting apparatus, two tubes, for instance, to be connected are held in parallel with each other and a cutting plate comprising a plate-like heating element is moved as if to cross the tubes, thereby heating and melting to cut the tubes. The tubes thus held are rotated so that the cut ends will slide on the cutting plate, and then the melted cut ends of the tubes are connected with each other by the withdrawal of the cutting plate.
A conventional example of a tube connecting apparatus having the above-described function, particularly a holder for holding tubes, will hereinafter be briefly explained.
FIG. 28
is a perspective illustration showing a holder in use in a conventional tube connecting apparatus.
The tube connecting apparatus of the conventional example comprises a fixed tube holder
201
which is fixedly secured at all times, and a movable tube holder
202
which is rotatable and movable in the axial direction of tubes. The fixed tube holder
201
and the movable tube holder
202
are provided with grooves
231
and
241
in holder blocks
203
and
204
in which tubes
205
and
206
can be mounted. On the holder blocks
203
and
204
, covers
207
and
208
are rotatably attached by hinges. Therefore, with the rotation of the covers
207
and
208
, the grooves
231
and
241
of the holder blocks
203
and
204
are opened and closed. The fixed tube holder
201
and the movable tube holder
202
are provided with a locking mechanism. The lock mechanism is composed of engaging pawls
271
and
281
protrusively provided on the covers
207
and
208
, and engaging holes
232
and
242
provided by drilling in the holder blocks
203
and
204
which engage with the engaging pawls
271
and
281
.
The movable tube holder
202
is set a specific distance off the fixed tube holder
201
, and the grooves
231
and
241
are positioned so as to be aligned on one line.
The movable tube holder
202
is provided with rotating means for rotating itself. This rotating means is formed such that the forward end of a crankshaft connected to a driving shaft of a motor
210
is secured to the holder block
204
of the movable tube holder
202
. On the extension M of the driving shaft of the motor
210
, the grooves
231
and
241
formed in the holder blocks
203
and
204
of the fixed tube holder
201
and the movable tube holder
202
are extendedly present, so as to be located on, or in the vicinity of, the tubes
205
and
206
which are charged one over the other within the grooves
231
and
241
.
In the case of the conventional tube connecting apparatus of the above-described constitution, first the grooves
231
and
241
are opened by the user of the apparatus by turning the covers
207
and
208
upwards from the holder blocks
203
and
204
of the fixed tube holder
201
and the movable tube holder
202
. Then, the tubes
205
and
206
are set one over the other in the grooves
231
and
241
thus opened upwards. Subsequently the covers
207
and
208
are turned downwards to close the grooves
231
and
241
with the tubes
205
and
206
thus set, and are held down until the engaging pawls
271
and
281
of the covers
207
and
208
are firmly engaged with the engaging holes
232
and
242
formed in the holder blocks
203
and
204
.
Subsequently, after thus setting the tubes
205
and
206
on the tube connecting apparatus, the user depresses an unillustrated starting switch to ON, thereby connecting the cut ends of these tubes
205
and
206
by the above-described operation.
That is, when the switch is depressed to ON, an unillustrated cutting plate travels between the fixed tube holder
201
and the movable tube holder
202
to cut the tubes
205
and
206
. After the cutting of the tubes
205
and
206
, the movable tube holder
202
is turned 180 degrees up and down through the crankshaft
211
by turning power of the motor
210
. Then, when the cutting plate is withdrawn, the movable tube holder
202
is axially moved by unillustrated moving means by the same amount as the thickness of the cutting plate towards the fixed tube holder
201
, melting to mutually connect the cut ends of the tubes
205
and
206
. At this time, as the tube holder
202
has been turned 180 degrees, the cover
208
faces down and the holder block
204
faces up.
Subsequently, the user opens the groove
231
by turning the cover
207
upwards from the holder block
203
of the fixed tube holder
201
.
Thereafter, with the starting switch pressed to ON, the movable tube holder
202
is turned 180 degrees by the turning power from the motor
210
through the crankshaft
211
. Then, as the cover
208
of the movable tube holder
202
faces up, the groove
241
is opened by turning the cover
208
upwards from the holder block
204
, and the tubes thus connected are taken out.
The conventional tube connecting apparatus, however, has the following problems.
In the above-described conventional tube connecting apparatus, as the movable tube holder
202
has turned 180 degrees from the state before jointing, the cover
208
can not turn from the holder block
204
and accordingly the tubes can not be taken out after the tubes
205
and
206
are cut and jointed.
To take out the jointed tubes, the groove
231
is opened in advance by turning the cover
207
upwards from the holder block
203
of the fixed tube holder
201
. Next, it is necessary to open the groove
241
of the holder block
204
, after the cover
208
turns to face up, by operating the starting switch to turn the connected tube 180 degrees, together with the movable tube holder
262
, and then to turn the cover
208
further upwards, making operation complicated and requiring much time for pipe connection.
Furthermore, in the conventional tube connecting apparatus, as described above, the apparatus automatically cuts and connects the tubes
205
and
206
; and therefore the user himself is required to carry out setting the tubes
205
and
206
to, and taking out the tubes from, the apparatus.
In this case, it becomes necessary to open and close the covers
207
and
208
together with the fixed tube holder
201
and the movable tube holder
202
. However, in order to prevent connection error likely to be caused by misalignment of the tubes
205
and
206
, there is provided lock means which comprises the engaging pawls
271
and
281
and the engaging holes
232
and
242
. Therefore a power is needed to open and close the covers
207
and
208
when the user sets the tubes
205
and
206
on the fixed tube holder
201
and the movable tube holder
202
. To open and close the covers
207
and
208
, about 1.5 to 2 kgf finger tip pressure is required.
This degree of pressure is liable to be thought not so great a pressure for a physically sound person, who therefore can easily open and close the covers
207
and
208
. However, the present apparatus is used for connecting a transfer tube connected with the abdominal cavity to a tube connected with a dialysis pack to supply for instance a dialysis solution into the abdominal cavity of a peritoneum dialysis patient. Therefore, it is quite an easy operation to the physically sound person to open and close the covers
207
and
208
. However, it is a hard work to such a physically handicapped person as a peritoneum patient who is weak-sighted or has a low physical strength.
Furthermore, in the conventional tube connecting apparatus described above, the tubes
205
and
206
are set one over the other in the grooves
231
and
241
formed in the holder blocks
203
and
204
; therefore, the lower tube in the grooves
231
and
241
, if pulled first by mistake after connection, will be caught by the upper tube, resulting in such a disadvantage as twist or damage.
Furthermore, th
Sano Hiroaki
Suzuki Yoshiro
Yamada Yoshiyuki
Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner L.L.P.
Terumo Kabushiki Kaisha
Yao Sam Chuan
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