Abstract
The present invention relates to a medical device connector for connecting a piercing device, with a vial comprising a base member. A plurality of grip members, each grip member comprising a distal end (D) and a proximal end (P) and each comprising a wedge portion adapted to temporarily or permanently lock the medical device connector to the vial. The base member further comprises a plurality of flanges, wherein the proximal ends (P) of the grip members are arranged to the flanges. The flanges extend substantially out from the periphery of the base member in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of the grip members, wherein the space formed between the flanges of the base member forms at least one grip portion. The present invention provides for a medical device connector which is easy and comfortable to use, which provide good stacking capabilities and which permits a user to readily acknowledge that the medical device connector is correctly assembled with the vial.
Claims
1. A medical device connector comprising; a base member having a radius R.sub.1; a first connection site having a neck element with a radius R.sub.2; a second connection site, the first connection site and the second connection site arranged on the base member, wherein the first connection site comprises a neck element having two guiding tracks, wherein the two guiding tracks comprising an upper surface and a lower surface, the upper surface of the two guiding tracks being arranged with an angle with respect to the lower surface of the two guiding tracks; one or more flanges extending out from a periphery of the base member, the one or more flanges extend to a radius R.sub.3; one or more grip members arranged on the one or more flanges in a direction perpendicular to the one or more of flanges; a bridge section disposed between adjacent grip members; a distance between a proximal end of the grip members being smaller than the distance between the distal end of the grip members such that the grip members extend in a non-parallel direction with respect to a centre axis; and wherein the radius R.sub.1 of the base member corresponds with the radius R.sub.2 of the neck element of the first connection site, and radius R.sub.3 of the flange being larger than radius R.sub.1 of the base element.
2. The medical device connector of claim 1, the one or more flanges extend out from a periphery of the base member in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the one or more grip members.
3. The medical device connector of claim 1, wherein the base member comprises a through going aperture.
4. The medical device connector of claim 3, wherein the base member further comprises a barrier member covering the through going aperture.
5. The medical device connector of claim 4, wherein the through going aperture and the barrier member are arranged at a centre of the base member.
6. The medical device connector of claim 1, wherein the one or more flanges extend parallel with a plane of the base member.
7. The medical device connector of claim 1, wherein the base member comprises 1-20 flanges and 1-40 grip members.
8. The medical device connector of claim 1, wherein the one or more flanges of the base member are arranged to be flexible, permitting temporary deformation during assembly with a medical device.
9. The medical device connector of claim 8, wherein the medical device is a vial.
10. The medical device connector of claim 8, wherein the medical device is a piercing device.
11. The medical device connector of claim 1, wherein the grip members are arranged to be flexible, permitting temporary deformation during assembly with a medical device.
12. The medical device connector of claim 11, wherein the medical device is a vial.
13. The medical device connector of claim 11, wherein the medical device is a piercing device.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
(1) The present invention will de described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying figures in which;
(2) FIG. 1 shows a piercing device in the form of a piercing device protection device with a needle, a medical device connector and a vial; the medical device connector being connected to the vial;
(3) FIGS. 2a-2c show the medical device connector from FIG. 1 shown in different views;
(4) FIG. 2d shows two medical device connectors, as shown in FIG. 1, piled in a stack of medical device connectors;
(5) FIG. 3 shows a cross section of the medical device connector shown in FIG. 1;
(6) FIG. 4 shows the medical device connector as shown in FIG. 1 from above, along the centre axis A;
(7) FIG. 5 shows an enlargement of the neck element of the first connection site of the medical device connector.
DEFINITION
(8) By the term medical device is meant a device used in hospital environments, nursing environments or care taking environments usually by qualified personnel such as doctors, nurses or the like. Such environments generally have high requirements regarding hygiene, personal care, and a strive towards low risk for contaminations. Typical medical devices are needles, syringes, piercing member protection devices, vials, infusion bags, infusion sets, administration systems, adapters, tubes, medical device connectors for connecting or adapting different medical devices to each other, or the like.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
(9) FIG. 1 shows a medical device connector 1 for connecting two medical devices. The medical devices can be a vial 2 and a piercing device 3. The piercing device 3 can be a piercing device having a telescopically movably piercing member protection function. The medical device connector 1 comprises a first connection site 10 adapted to receive and establish a connection with the piercing device 3 and a second connection site 20 adapted to establish a connection with the vial 2. The second connection site 20 operates by being fitted onto the neck of the vial 2 with a snap on function.
(10) FIGS. 2a-2c show the medical device connector 1 in different views, the same feature is indicated with the same reference numeral. FIGS. 2a-2c shows the first and the second connection site 10, 20 arranged on a base member 30. The medical device connector 1 has a centre axis A. The base member 30 separates the first and the second sites 10, 20 from each other but is formed integrally with the first and the second connection sites. The base member 30 has an extension in the plane PL, as indicated in FIGS. 2a-2c.
(11) A plurality of flanges 40 extends from the periphery of the base member 30. The embodiment shown in FIGS. 2a-2d has four symmetrically positioned flanges 40; a first, a second, a third and a forth flange 41, 42, 43, 44, extending parallel with the plane PL out from the periphery of the base member 30. The flanges 40 are formed integrally with the base member 30 but can be formed separately and connected thereto. A plurality of grip members 50 are arranged on the base member 30 via the flanges 40 and substantially perpendicular to the flanges 40. The flanges 40 extend in a direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the grip members 50. In the shown embodiment, each flange member 41, 42, 43, 44 comprises two grip members 51, 52, 53, 54 (not all grip members are shown). The grip members 51, 52, 53, 54 are flexible and will deform somewhat as the they are connected to the vial 2, to thereafter return substantially to their original position after passing a flange on the vial 2, whereafter the grip members connect the medical device connector 1 to the vial 2 in a known snap-on manner.
(12) FIG. 2a shows a view towards the second flange 42 and the two grip members 53, 54 of the second flange 42. Each grip member 50 of the medical device connector 1 comprises a proximal end P and a distal end D, in FIG. 2a this is illustrated by the grip member 53 having a proximal end 53.sub.P and a distal end 53.sub.D. The proximal ends are connected to the base member 30.
(13) Between each adjacent grip member 52, 53 of separate flanges 41, 42, a bridge section 60 is provided, thus four bridge sections 60 are provided. As is noticed, the bridge sections 60 extend from the distal ends D of the grip members and thereby connect the distal ends 52.sub.D, 53.sub.D of the grip members 52, 53 of separate flanges 41, 42. Each bridge section 60 comprises a wedge portion 61 enabling a snap on function to the vial 1 shown in FIG. 1.
(14) The distance between the proximal ends P is smaller than the distance between the distal ends of the grip members. This provides for grip members having a somewhat tilted appearance and extending in a non parallel direction with respect to the centre axis A. This enables a plurality of medical device connectors 1a, 1b to be stacked in a relatively compact manner, as shown in FIG. 2d. In an embodiment of the present invention, the distance between the distal ends D of grip members 50 arranged on the same flange 40, is larger than the width of the flanges 40.
(15) FIG. 3 shows a cross section of the medical device connector 1, shown in FIG. 1, and 2a-2d. The first connection site 10 comprises a neck element 11 having two guiding tracks 12 (e.g. shown in FIG. 2c) for receiving lock protrusions 4 of the piercing device 3, shown in FIG. 1. Each guiding track 12 comprises a locking edge 15. The lock protrusions 4 of the piercing device 3 cooperate with the locking edge 15 to connect the piercing device 3.
(16) Intersecting with the centre axis A is a through going aperture 13 arranged to permit a needle of the piercing device 3 to extend therethrough after assembly and during use. A barrier member 14 from e.g. a silicone rubber material is arranged to seal around such needle during use. The barrier member 14 covers the through going aperture.
(17) FIG. 4 shows the medical device connector 1 with a view along the centre axis A and from above. As is noted, the base member 30 has a radius R.sub.1, which substantially corresponds to a radius R.sub.2 of the neck element 11 of the first connection site 10. Each flange 40 further extends to a radius R.sub.3 which is larger than the radius R.sub.1 of the base member 30. This enables the wedge portions 61 to be seen between the flanges 40. The radius R3 corresponds substantially to the largest radius of the vial neck at which the grip members 50 are intended to be held. This further enables the vial to be readily seen between the flanges 40 as is illustrated in FIG. 1. The grip portions formed between the flanges 40 thus have a dual functionality of operating as a window for confirming proper alignment and adequate attachment of the medical device connector 1 to the vial 3.
(18) Furthermore, it is possible to construct a medical device connector 1 which has through going openings 70 when seen along the centre axis A. It has been found that these through going openings 70, one opening for each bridge section 60 and wedge portion 61, enable the medical device connector 1 to be manufactured very easily. The medical device connector 1 can for example be form molded, during such form molding, the insertion and retraction direction of the form molding tools have an impact on the manufacturing rate of the manufacturing process.
(19) FIG. 5 shows an enlargement of parts of the neck element 11 and one of the guiding tracks 12 of the first connection site 10 of the medical device connector 1, as seen in FIGS. 1-4. The guiding track 12 comprises the locking edge 15, which the lock protrusions 4 of the piercing device 3 is intended to cooperate with during assembly, as illustrated in FIG. 1. The tip 5 of the piercing device 3, with its barrier member 6 and lock protrusions 4, as shown in FIG. 1, is inserted into the neck element 11 of the first connection site 10. The lock protrusions 4 of the piercing device 3 slide in the guiding tracks 12 in a cooperative manner.
(20) The arrows X, Y, shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, show how the piercing device 3 is moved during insertion and in which order; X before Y. Disengagement in executed in the opposite order and direction; Y before X. First, with a vertical motion illustrated by arrow X, the tip 4 of the piercing device 3 is inserted so that the barrier member 6 of the piercing device 3 is positioned directly adjacent the barrier member 14 of the medical device connector 1, shown in FIG. 3. As the barrier members 6, 14 are compressed by the vertical movement, the lock protrusions 4 of the piercing device 3 are aligned with the horizontal part of the guiding tracks 12 and the piercing device 3 can be turned clockwise, as indicated by the arrow Y. During the clockwise turning, which in an embodiment of course can be counter clockwise, an upper surface 7 of the lock protrusion 4 slides against an upper surface 16 of the guiding track 12. As is noticed, the neck element 11 comprises two guiding tracks 12 and the piercing device 3 comprises two lock protrusions 4, although each feature might be described in the singular. In FIG. 5, parts of the lock protrusion 4 of the piercing device 3 are indicated with a dotted line and shown in the locked position.
(21) As is noticed in FIG. 5, the locking edge 15 extends in a smooth curvature between a first and a second level, illustrated with the distance b in FIG. 5. The locking edge 15 extends in a smooth curvature, the curvature of which is a function of a radius, indicated by the diameter a, the radius a, being half of the diameter a. The radius a can be 1-10 mm, preferably 2-8 mm even more preferably 3-5 mm. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the radius a is about 3 mm. The locking edge thus enables a good connection between the piercing device 3 and the medical device connector 1 which is especially easy to unlock, but also easy to lock. The locked position is indicated in FIG. 5 with the doted lines of the lock protrusion 4. In an embodiment, the locking edge 15 extends as a smooth curvature, the curvature which is a function of at least two radii, preferably two radii, different or the same, but with a different point of origin.
(22) The upper surface 16 of the guiding tracks 12 is further arranged with an angle c, as indicated in FIG. 5 with respect to a lower surface 17 of the guiding tracks 12. The lower surface 17 of the guiding tracks 12 can be considered to be horizontal, or parallel with a still water line. The angle c is advantageously 0-15, preferably 2-10, even more preferably 5-7. In the shown embodiment the angle c is 5. The angled surface enables the piercing device 3 to be compressed towards the medical device connector 1 during assembly and the clockwise turning of the piercing device 3, as indicated by arrow Y in FIG. 5.
