US3125242A

US3125242A - x j jsj

Info

Publication number: US3125242A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1964-03-17
Anticipated expiration: 1981-03-17

Description

RNE:

L. T. DAVIS LING APPARATUS FOR PORTS OF MEDICAL GAS CYLINDER VALVES Flled Oct 24. 1960 INVENTOR. A y/m 7T flay/5 BY gay/KM 4170 SANITARY SEA March 17, 1964 United States Patent 3,125,242 SANITARY SEALING APPARATUS FOR PGRTS OF MEDICAL GAS CYLINDER VALVES Lynn T. Davis, Kansas City, Mo., assignor to Puritan Compressed Gas Corporation, Kansas City, Mo., a corporation of Missouri Filed Oct. 24, 1960, Ser. No. 64,544 7 Claims. (Cl. 220-85) The present invention relates to sanitary sealing apparatus for the outlet orifice or ports of medical gas cylinder valves.

With cylinders of medical gas, it is essential that the outlet orifice of the cylinder valve and a washer used in conjunction with the orifice when coupling a patient application line to the valve, be maintained entirely free from foreign matter or contamination by excessive handling or exposure to the atmosphere. Such protection is particularly necessary during the shipment of the cylinders because of the handling required, and a conventional way of overcoming the above problem, particularly during shipment, has been to cover the orifice with plastic tape or the like, and to package the washer in an envelope taped to the cylinder with the same tape. Such a method involves certain inherent disadvantages from the sanitary point of view, and also from the standpoint of assuring against loss of the washer or minimum handling of the same in connecting a patient application line to the orifice.

It is, therefore, the most important object of the present invention to provide structure for sanitarily closing and sealing the gas outlet orifice of a cylinder valve wherein the orifice is protected against handling and exposure to the atmosphere, and wherein the device for protecting the orifice also provides a container for the washer shipped with the cylinder, which container entirely protects the washer against handling or exposure so that the orifice and washer are as completely free from contamination as it is possible to make them, thereby insuring the sanitary administration of gas to the patient.

It is another object of the present invention to provide structure of the character described above, wherein the means for sealing and closing the orifice are resilient and flexible, and of a cross-sectional dimension smaller than the dimension of the valve so that the closing and sealing means must be stretched over the valve structure and the inherent resiliency of the closing and sealing means holds the structure in closing and sealing relationship to the valve orifice.

It is another object of the present invention to provide structure of the character above described wherein the closing and sealing means include a flexible, resilient band provided with a zone of weakness and a tear strip whereby, when it is desired to remove the closing and sealing means from the valve and orifice, the manual application of a tearing force to the strip, will tear the same through the zone of weakness so that the structure may be easily removed.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide structure of the character above described, wherein the closing and sealing means are provided with an in- Wardly extending protuberance complemental to the orifice in shape, which protuberance also is insertable into the orifice to maintain the closing and sealing structure in alignment therewith.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a tool for the easy sanitary application of structure of the character above described, to the valve, wherein the tool is provided with a frusto-conical section for slidably receiving the closing and sealing structure, and wherein the tool is further provided with a valve-encircling portion so that the closing and sealing structure may be slid onto the frusto-conical portion of the tool after the tool has been nested upon the valve structure, and the closing and sealing structure expanded during sliding movement along the tool, the closing and sealing structure sliding off the opposite end of the tool and onto the valve with the inherent resiliency of the closing and sealing structure contracting the same into a tight, friction sealing engagement with the valve and orifice.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide closing and sealing structure of the character above described, wherein the structure is provided with a component including a circular plate having a transverselyextending, peripheral flange, and a protuberance disposed centrally of the plate and extending therefrom in the same direction as the flange so that a recess is formed in the component around the protuberance for containing the sealing washer to be shipped with the cylinder, and so that the washer is enclosed between the component and the valve structure when the closing and sealing means are in place on the valve, thereby insuring against the washer being exposed to handling or to atmosphere.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide structure of the character above described, wherein after the closing and sealing means are removed from the valve structure, the washer may be slid off of the protuberance and onto the patient application line to be coupled with the orifice without human handling of the Washer.

Further objects and advantages may appear as this specification proceeds and various modifications and changes may be made to the structure of the present invention without departing from the spirit thereof. Such further objects and modifications and changes are intended to be covered by the scope of the appended claims.

Reference is now made to the drawing, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is an exploded perspective view of the closing and sealing structure and tool embodying the present invention, with the gas cylinder application valve shown in dotted line to disclose the relationship of the tool and closing and sealing means to the valve structure;

FIG. 2 is a vertical, cross-sectional view through the closing and sealing structure of the present invention in position upon valve structure shown by dotted line;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the closing and sealing structure of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a transverse, cross-sectional view taken along line 44 of FIG. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows; and

FIG. 5 is an elevational view of the seal containing recess taken internally of the closing and sealing structure shown in FIG. 3, and showing the seal in place in the recess.

A medical gas cylinder valve 10 is shown in FIG. 1 threadably engaged with the top of a gas cylinder 12. Shown in place upon the body of valve 10 is a sanitary sealing apparatus 14 which has just been placed in position by the use of a tool 16, shown above the valve 10 to inidcate its relation thereto.

Sealing apparatus '14 consists of a sealing component 18 and a band 20. Component 18 includes a circular plate 22 having a peripheral flange 24 extending transversely therefrom and terminating in a valve-engaging lip 26. Disposed centrally of plate 221 is a generally cylindrical protuberance 28 which is axailly aligned with the axis of plate 22 and extends inwardly from the plate relative to the apparatus 14 and terminates in a bias cut innermost face 38. Band 20 is joined at ends 32 and 34 to diametrically opposite sides of lip 26.

Band 20 is further provided with a zone of weakness indicated generally by the numeral 36, which includes a pair of spaced, parallel, transverse lines of

perforations

38 and 40, extending across the width of band 20 in

portions

42 and 44 of band 20 which are of reduced thickness as compared with the remainder of band 20. A tear strip 46 is provided between the lines of

perforations

38 and 40 which is integral with the remainder of band 20, and tear strip 46 is provided with a tab 48 provided with a plurality of treads 50, the tab 48 and treads 56 being provided for the purpose of providing means for easily applying an outside tearing force to strip 46.

The construction of component 18 already described, is such that the area defined by flange 24, plate 22, protuberance 28 and lip 26, is a recess 52 provided for the purpose of containing a washer "54 in circumscribing relationship to the protuberance 28.

It is to be noted at this point, that the band 20 and component 18 in horizontal cross-section, are generally square, as is the valve 10, and the area of the oros=s-sec tional dimension of the closing and sealing structure 14 is less than the cross-sectional dimensional area of the valve 110.

The present invention contemplates that the band 20 and component 18, will be an integral unit constructed of polyethylene material, or any other comparable material having similar characteristics of flexibility and inherent resiliency. Since the apparatus 14 is smaller than the valve body 10, in order to avoid unnecessary human handling of the structure 14 to emplace it properly upon the valve 10, a tool 16 is provided.

Tool 16 includes a hollow body 56 open at end 58. End 60, remote from end 8, is of a. cross-sectional dimension smaller than the unit 14 so that the unit 14 may be slidably received upon the tool 16at end 60.

Tool 16 has a first frusto-conical portion 66 which extends from end 60 to a line lying in an imaginary plane perpendicularly transverse to tool 16, and a second portion 68 extending from the same imaginary plane to end 58 and which portion is generally square in transverse cross-section. Portion 68 is bifurcated by a slot 70 extending axially into tool 16 from end 58.

When it is desired to place the apparatus 14 upon the valve 10, the apparatus is first slidably emplaced around first portion 66 of tool 16, and the protuberance 28 is engaged with portion 66 with inclined face 30 of protuberance 28 against the inclined surface or portion 66 with which it is complemental. The tool 16 is then nested upon valve with the second portion 68 over the square cross-section part of valve 10. Second portion 68 may expand sufiiciently to nest over the valve 10, since it is provided with the slot 70 bifurcating second portion 68. The apparatus 14 is then slida-bly shifted along the tool 16 and the incline of portion 66 operates upon the surface 30 of protuberance 28 to cam the protuberance 28 outwardly relative to the tool 16, and thereby expand the flexible resilient band 20.

Apparatus 14 is shifted along the tool 16 until it slides off of end 58 of tool '16 and snaps into engagement with valve 10, as a result of the inherent resiliency of the apparatus 14. It will be noted with particular reference to FIG. 2, that protuberance 28 is complemental to orifice 72 and is received therein when the apparatus 14 snaps into place to maintain the structure '14 properly aligned with the valve 10 and, therefore, in proper closing and sealing relationship to the orifice 72. Further, a sealing Washer 54 which must be transported with the cylinder, has been placed in the recess 52 prior to the engagement of apparatus 14 with tool 16 so that when the apparatus 14 snaps into position, the washer 54 is confined between the valve .10 and the protuberance 28, plate Zll, flange 24 and lip 26, thereby protecting washer 54 from handling or exposure to atmosphere.

When it is desired to remove the apparatus 14 from the valve 18 at the time that the cylinder is to be used for purposes of supplying medical gas to a patient, it is a simple matter to grasp the tab 48 by hand or with a tool, and to pull the tab 48 downwardly and outwardly as viewed in FIGS. 2 and 3, tearing the band 20 in the zone of weakness 36. The tab -48 is provided with treads 50 to insure a positive grip upon the tab 48. The zone of weakness 36, which includes the lines of perforations 38 46, is so constructed that the tearing will take place across the areas between the perforations on the line upon which the penforations lie, and the entire tear strip 46 and tab it; will, therefore, be removed from connection with the remainder of band 20.

The remaining portion of apparatus 14 may be easily removed from valve 10, and the patient application line connected with orifice 72. The patient application line (not shown) is customarily provided with a portion insertable into the orifice 72, and it is manifest from the drawing, that it is a simple matter to place such portion in end-to-end abut-ting relationship with the protuberance 28 and simply let the sealing washer 54 slide downwardly off the protuberance 28 and onto the said portion of the patient administration line without contamination due to handling of the washer. The line may then be engaged in orifice 72 and the gas can pass through the orifice 72 and contact the washer without picking up germs or contamination from the washer or the orifice, since the same has been sanitarily protected at all times during shipment and handling.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a gas supply assembly including a gas cylinder provided with a valve body thereon having an outlet orifice in the same, the combination with said valve body of a sanitary sealing unit provided with a flexible, resilient, endless band frictionally surrounding the valve body in complemental, overlying, covering relationship to said orifice, and a locking component on the band and extending into the orifice in disposition requiring severance of the band before removal of the component from the orifice whereby re-use of the sealing unit is precluded.

2. An assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein said orifice is generally cylindrical and said component is of cylindrical configuration to be complementally received in said orifice.

3. An assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein said component is of generally cylindrical configuration and is provided with a face remote from the zone of connection of the component to the band, said band being at an angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the component.

4. An assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein said band is provided with a generally cup-shaped portion in overlying relationship to said orifice, said cup-shaped portion being provided with a circular plate segment remote from the valve body and carrying the component thereon, and a cylindrical flange integral with the periphery of the plate and extending toward the valve body, said cup shaped portion defining an annular cavity around the component for receiving a washer used with the valve body.

5. An assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein said band is provided with at least one transverse line of weakness therein facilitating severance of the band for removal of the sealing unit from the valve body.

6. An assembly as set forth in claim 5 wherein is provided a pair of said lines of weakness extending transversely of the band and defining a pull tab therebetween, 5 said pull tab being of greater length transversely of the band than the adjacent width of said band.

7. An assembly as set forth in claim 5 wherein said band than the adjacent width of said band. rations disposed transversely of the band and defining a 10 line of weakness.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Perkins Apr. 18, Brause June 11, Terrill Sept. 10, Tobiasson Jan. 18, Greenwood Jan. 12, Martin Mar. 2, Lockwood Feb. 19, Goll May 12,

FOREIGN PATENTS Italy Sept. 23,