FILLING SYSTEM FOR AN ANESTHETIC DISPENSER

Abstract

A filling system for an anesthetic dispenser has an improved anesthetic-specific code. The adapter neck of the cylinder adapter has polygonally arranged outer surfaces (7, 71) as anesthetic-specific code. A filling device for anesthetics at the anesthetic dispenser has a filler neck for receiving the adapter neck, and polygonally arranged inner surfaces (27, 271) are formed as an anesthetic-specific code at the filler neck, which are designed corresponding to the outer surfaces (7, 71). At least one inner surface (271) has a projection (272) projecting from the inner surface, and at least one outer surface (71) has a depression (72) designed corresponding to the projection (272).

Claims

1. An anesthetic dispenser filling system comprising: a cylinder adapter with an adapter neck, said cylinder adapter being provided at a storage tank for liquid anesthetic; polygonally arranged outer surfaces at said adapter neck as an anesthetic-specific code at the cylinder adapter; an anesthetic dispenser; a filling device for anesthetic with a filler neck for receiving said adapter neck, said filling device being at said anesthetic dispenser; and polygonally arranged inner surfaces, as an anesthetic-specific code at said filler neck, said polygonally arranged inner surfaces being designed corresponding to said polygonally arranged outer surfaces, wherein at least one of said polygonally arranged inner surfaces has a projection projecting from the inner surface and at least one of said polygonally arranged outer surfaces has a depression designed corresponding to said projection.

2. A filling system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the polygonally arranged inner surfaces and outer surfaces provide a generally polygon shape designed corresponding to as a regular n-sided polygon.

3. A filling system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said polygonally arranged inner surfaces and outer surfaces provide a generally polygon shape with sides corresponding to one of a hexagon, a pentagon, a heptagon or an octagon.

4. A filling system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said projection of said at least one inner surface comprises a pin-shaped component and said depression at said at least one outer surface comprises a groove corresponding to said pin-shaped component.

5. A filling system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said projection of said at least one inner surface is a convex contour and said depression of said at least one outer surface is an inwardly directed contour designed corresponding to said convex contour.

6. A filling system in accordance with claim 5, wherein all of said inner surfaces have a convex contour and all of said outer surfaces have an inwardly directed contour designed corresponding to said convex contour.

7. A filling system in accordance with claim 5, wherein said convex contour and said inwardly directed contour are designed as a curvature in a radial direction of said polygonally arranged outer surfaces and said polygonally arranged inner surfaces and that no curvature is present at right angles thereto.

8. A cylinder adapter for filling an anesthetic dispenser, cylinder adapter comprising an adapter neck; and polygonally arranged outer surfaces at the adapter neck as an anesthetic-specific code of the cylinder adapter, wherein at least one of said outer surfaces has an inwardly directed contour.

9. A cylinder adapter in accordance with claim 7, wherein all of said outer surfaces have an inwardly directed contour.

10. A cylinder adapter in accordance with claim 8, wherein said contour comprises a curvature in a radial direction of said polygonally arranged outer surfaces and that no curvature is present at right angles thereto.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cylinder adapter according to the invention and corresponding to the embodiments of FIGS. 5 and 6 wherein the view shows polygonally arranged outer surfaces, showing a side with the flat outer surfaces corresponding to the state of the art, wherein the at least one outer surface with a depression is at a side opposite the side being viewed;

[0020] FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the cylinder adapter according to FIG. 1 and corresponding to the embodiments of FIGS. 5 and 6 wherein the view shows polygonally arranged outer surfaces, showing a side with the flat outer surfaces corresponding to the state of the art, wherein the at least one outer surface with the depression is at a side opposite the side being viewed;

[0021] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a filling device according to the invention and corresponding to the embodiments of FIGS. 5 and 6 wherein the view shows polygonally arranged inner surfaces, showing a side with the flat inner surfaces corresponding to the state of the art, wherein the at least one inner surface with a projection is at a side opposite the side being viewed;

[0022] FIG. 4 is a longitudinal section of the filling device according to FIG. 3 and corresponding to the embodiments of FIGS. 5 and 6 wherein the view shows polygonally arranged inner surfaces, showing a side with the flat inner surfaces corresponding to the state of the art, wherein the at least one inner surface with the projection is at a side opposite the side being viewed;

[0023] FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing a first code with polygonally arranged surfaces including the at least one inner surface with the projection and the at least one outer surface with the depression;

[0024] FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing a second code with polygonally arranged surfaces including the at least one inner surface with the projection and the at least one outer surface with the depression;

[0025] FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing a third code with polygonally arranged surfaces including the all of the inner surfaces with projections and all of the outer surfaces with depressions;

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0026] Referring to the drawings in particular, FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a cylinder adapter 1, which has a threaded sleeve 2 on the underside for screwing onto a storage tank for liquid anesthetic, not shown specifically in FIG. 1. On its cylinder collar, the storage tank has an anesthetic-specific index collar, which is inserted into mounting grooves 3 of the threaded sleeve 2. Thus, only one cylinder adapter 1 belonging to the anesthetic can be screwed onto the storage tank. The screwing motion is facilitated here by recessed grips 4 above the threaded sleeve 2. An adapter neck 5 with an O-ring 6 and polygonally arranged outer surfaces 7 for the anesthetic-specific code as well as an outlet pipe 8 with radially extending slots 9 are located at the upper end of the cylinder adapter 1. The upper side 10 of the pipe is designed as a star-shaped body 11. The code comprises polygonally arranged surfaces 7/71 including the at least one outer surface 71 with the depression wherein only the flat outer surfaces 7, corresponding to the state of the art are viewable in FIG. 1.

[0027] FIG. 2 shows the cylinder adapter 1 according to FIG. 1 in a longitudinal section. Identical components are designated by the same reference numbers as in FIG. 1. A shut-off valve 12 with a valve piston 13, with a ring body 14 on the upper side of the valve piston 13 and with a valve spring 15, which is prestressed by means of a support plate 16 and pushes the valve piston 13 against a sealing surface 131, is located within the cylinder adapter 1. Support plate 16 is held within the cylinder adapter 1 by a support cage 17. A sealing ring 18, which lies on the cylinder neck of the storage tank, not shown in the figures, is fastened to the underside of the support cage 17. Support plate 16 contains holes 19, via which the gas and liquid exchange takes place. The surfaces 7/71 generally provide a polygonal shape is of an anesthetic-specific design. Thus, a 5-sided generally polygonal shape is used for sevoflurane, a 6-sided generally polygonal shape for isoflurane, and an 8-sided generally polygonal shape for halothane.

[0028] FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of a filling device 20 for anesthetic at an anesthetic dispenser 21. The filling device 20 has a filler neck 22 with a cylindrical sealing surface 23, an inner lead-in bevel 24 at the upper part of the filler neck 22, a spoked wheel 25 with radially inwardly pointing rods 26, polygonally arranged inner surfaces 27 for the anesthetic-specific code and a filling valve 28. FIG. 3 shows the code with polygonally arranged surfaces including the at least one inner surface with the projection wherein only the flat inner surfaces 27 corresponding to the state of the art are viewable in FIG. 3.

[0029] FIG. 4 shows a longitudinal section of the filling device 20. Identical components are designated by the same reference numbers as in FIG. 3. Filling valve 28 comprises a valve plate 29 at a valve guide rod 30, which is received in a hole 31 of the dispenser housing 32 such that it can perform strokes. The upper side 33 of the valve plate 29 is pressed by means of a valve spring 34 against a sealing crater 35 of the filling valve 28. A guide ring 36 is connected to the valve plate 29 and is displaceable together with valve plate 29.

[0030] The filling system operates as follows:

[0031] When the cylinder adapter 1 is inserted into the filling device 20, the O-ring 6 first slides over the lead-in bevel 24 and is in contact with the sealing surface 23 of filler neck 22. The outer surfaces 7 come to mesh in the further course with the inner surfaces 27 and the cylinder adapter 1 is centered as a result in relation to the filling device 20. The rods 26 are then located in the slots 9 of the outlet pipe 8 and the outlet pipe 8 enters the area of guide ring 36.

[0032] By a pressure being applied to the cylinder adapter 1, the upper side 10 of the pipe of the cylinder adapter is in contact with the upper side 37 of the guide ring 36 and the filling valve 28 opens. The adapter valve 12 is still closed. If the pressure on the cylinder adapter 1 is increased further, valve plate 29 is displaced against the force of the valve spring 34 further downward and the rods 26 touch the ring body 14 of the valve body 13, as a result of which the adapter valve 12 opens. Anesthetic is now flowing via the holes 19 of the support plate 16 into the tank of the anesthetic evaporator 21 and, as in communicating vessels, gas returns from the tank into the storage tank via the holes 19.

[0033] When ending the filling operation, the adapter valve 12 closes at first, so that possible residual quantities of anesthetic within the filler neck 22 can flow off into the tank of the anesthetic evaporator 21. The filling valve 28 is then closed and the cylinder adapter 1 can be removed from the filler neck 22.

[0034] FIG. 5 schematically shows a first embodiment 100 of the code according to the present invention, and only the cooperation of the polygonally arranged outer surfaces 7 on the cylinder adapter 1 and the polygonally shaped inner surfaces 27 on the filling device 20 is shown. A first outer surface 71, being a partial surface of the outer surfaces 7, has an inwardly directed arch 72, and a first inner surface 271 designed correspondingly thereto has a convex arch 272. When the first outer surface 71 is aligned with the first inner surface 271, cylinder adapter 1 can be pushed into the filling device 20.

[0035] Unlike in the first embodiment according to FIG. 5, a pin-shaped component 273 is present at the first inner surface 271 in a second embodiment 200 shown in FIG. 6, and the first outer surface 71 has a groove 73 designed correspondingly thereto.

[0036] In a third embodiment 300 according to FIG. 7, all inner surfaces 27 have a convex arch 272 and all outer surfaces 7 are provided with the inwardly directed arch 72. Unlike in the first embodiment 100 with an arched partial surface, no special preferential position is needed in the third embodiment 300 for inserting the cylinder adapter 1 into the filling device 20.

[0037] While specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the principles of the invention, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.

APPENDIX

List of Reference Numbers

[0038] 1 Cylinder adapter [0039] 2 Threaded sleeve [0040] 3 Mounting grooves [0041] 4 Recessed grip [0042] 5 Adapter neck [0043] 6 O-ring [0044] 7 Outer surface [0045] 8 Outlet pipe [0046] 9 Slots [0047] 10 Upper side of pipe [0048] 11 Star-shaped body [0049] 12 Shut-off valve [0050] 13 Valve piston [0051] 14 Ring body [0052] 15 Valve spring [0053] 16 Support plate [0054] 17 Support cage [0055] 18 Sealing ring [0056] 19 Hole [0057] 20 Filling device [0058] 21 Anesthetic dispenser [0059] 22 Filler neck [0060] 23 Sealing surface [0061] 24 Lead-in bevel [0062] 25 Spoked wheel [0063] 26 Rods [0064] 27 Inner surface [0065] 28 Filling valve [0066] 29 Valve plate [0067] 30 Valve guide rod [0068] 31 Hole [0069] 32 Dispenser housing [0070] 33 Upper side [0071] 34 Valve spring [0072] 35 Sealing seat (crater) [0073] 36 Guide ring [0074] 71 First outer surface [0075] 72 Arch [0076] 73 Groove [0077] 100 First embodiment [0078] 131 Sealing surface [0079] 200 Second embodiment [0080] 271 First inner surface [0081] 272 Convex arch [0082] 273 Pin-shaped component [0083] 300 Third embodiment