Abstract
A sieve-like filter unit, especially for a cartridge-shaped receptacle, which is arranged on a connecting port/connector of the receptacle and is designed to withhold undissolved powder and/or solid particles present in the receptacle, comprising at least two openings each being composed of at least two connected part recesses, wherein each individual opening in its entirety is formed to be extending in a non-linear manner.
Claims
1. A filter unit for a cartridge-shaped receptacle to be arranged on a connecting port of the cartridge-shaped receptacle, the filter unit configured to withhold at least one of undissolved powder or solid particles present in the cartridge-shaped receptacle, the filter unit defining a filter center point and comprising: a plurality of openings, each opening comprising at least two connected part recesses extending from a common center point of said opening, each opening also comprising a non-linear run provided in a transition area between of the at least two part recesses such that each opening extends in a non-linear manner with the at least two part recesses being symmetrical to one another about a symmetry axis, the plurality of openings being arranged with their respective common center points located on at least one circle extending around the filter center point, each opening having its symmetry axis passing through its common center point and through the filter center point, the symmetry axis of a first opening of the plurality of openings extending at an acute angle relative to the symmetry axis of a second opening of the plurality of openings, so that the first opening and the second opening have different orientations relative to the filter center point.
2. The sieve like filter unit according to claim 1, wherein the at least two connected part recesses extend away from a common point in at least two non-parallel directions.
3. The filter unit according to claim 1, wherein each of the openings spans the at least one circle.
4. The filter unit according to claim 1, wherein each of the openings are at least one of star-shaped or radiant and have at least two beams and/or spikes each extending radially outwardly from a common point.
5. The filter unit according to claim 4, wherein the common point is at least one of the common center point of said opening, a transition point, or an intersection point between the at least two connected part recesses.
6. The filter unit according to claim 1, wherein each of the at least two openings are wave-shaped, meander-shaped, serrated and/or hook-shaped, or point-shaped.
7. The filter unit according to claim 1, wherein the openings are evenly spread on the filter unit.
8. The filter unit according to claim 1, wherein each of the openings have rounded outer edges over their entire circumference.
9. The filter unit according to claim 1, wherein for each opening, an extension of said opening in a first direction is identical to an extension of said opening in a second direction.
10. The filter unit according to claim 1, wherein the at least one circle comprises a first circle and a second circle, the first circle and the second circle being concentric, the openings comprising a first number of openings arranged on the first circle and a second number of openings arranged on the second circle, the second number of openings being greater than the first number of openings.
11. The filter unit according to claim 1, wherein the at least two connected part recesses comprise four connected part recesses.
12. A cartridge-shaped receptacle for an extracorporeal blood treatment machine, the cartridge-shaped receptacle comprising: at least one connecting port forming at least one of a fluid inlet or a fluid outlet; at least one filter unit according to claim 1, each of the at least one filter unit disposed on a corresponding one of the at least one connecting port.
13. The cartridge-shaped receptacle according to claim 12, wherein the each of the at least one filter unit is manufactured at least one of from one material, in one piece, integrally with the cartridge-shaped receptacle, or in one part with the cartridge-shaped receptacle.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
(1) The invention is best understood from the following detailed description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings. Included in the drawings are the following figures:
(2) FIG. 1 shows a first preferred embodiment of a sieve-shaped filter unit according to aspects of the invention;
(3) FIG. 2 shows a second preferred embodiment of the sieve-shaped filter unit according to aspects of the invention;
(4) FIG. 3 shows a filter unit having further openings according to aspects of the invention;
(5) FIG. 4 shows a filter unit equally having further openings according to aspects of the invention;
(6) FIG. 5 shows a cartridge-type receptacle/a cartridge including two filter units according to aspects of the invention;
(7) FIG. 6 shows an axially symmetric opening according to aspects of the invention consisting of five part recesses;
(8) FIG. 7 shows a point-symmetric opening according to aspects of the invention consisting of four part recesses; and
(9) FIG. 8 shows an asymmetric opening according to aspects of the invention consisting of four non-identical or different part recesses.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
(10) The Figures are merely schematic and exclusively serve for the comprehension of the invention. Like elements are provided with like reference numerals. The features of the individual embodiments may be interchanged.
(11) In FIG. 1 a first preferred embodiment of a sieve-like filter unit 2 is illustrated. The filter unit 2 includes 35 openings 4 which at first sight are provided to be approximately evenly spread on the filter unit 2 as well as to be axially symmetric to a symmetry axis 6 of the filter. Five of the openings 4 are located on an inner circle 8, twelve of the openings 4 are located on a central circle 10 and eighteen of the openings 4 are located on an outer circle 12. This also means that there is no opening 4 provided in a center of the filter unit. At the individual circles 8, 10, 12 the provided openings 4 are spaced evenly, i.e. at equal angular distance relative to each other. The circles 8, 10, 12 are concentric to each other.
(12) All of the openings 4 of FIG. 1 are identical and each of them takes a radiant shape/star shape. Each of the openings 4 consists of four connected, preferably identical, part recesses 14 which converge into a common center 16 and, respectively, extend away therefrom into different directions. In an area around the common center 16 transition areas/portions 17 are provided between the part recesses 14. At least the directly adjacent, i.e. not facing, part recesses 14 are extending in their transition area/portion 17 in a non-linear or non-straight manner. As is evident from FIG. 1, the openings span an opening circle 18 or an opening square 20. The opening square 20 illustrates that an extension x of the openings 4 is identical to or of equal length with an extension y perpendicular thereto of the openings 4. Each of the openings 4 of FIG. 1 includes four symmetry axes 22 of the opening. By the part recesses 14 of FIG. 1 four beams/spikes 24 are defined for each opening 4. Each part recess 14 has a width B and a length L. The length L is longer than the width B. The width B is not allowed to exceed a predetermined maximum width B.sub.max so that powder and, respectively, solid particles cannot pass through the openings 4. The openings 4 are rounded at each of their outer edges.
(13) FIG. 2 illustrates a second preferred embodiment of the sieve-like filter unit 2. The filter unit 2 again has 35 openings 4. The arrangement of the openings 4 relative to each other is identical to the arrangement presented in FIG. 1, which is why a description will not be repeated. Hereinafter merely the differences between FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 shall be discussed.
(14) All of the openings 4 of FIG. 2 are equally identically formed and also take a respective radiant shape/star shape. Each of the openings 4 of FIG. 2 includes five connected identical part recesses 14, however, which converge to a common center 16 and, respectively, extend away therefrom into different directions. Again, transition areas/portions 17 are provided between the part recesses 14, in an area around the common center 16. In this case, in the transition area/portion 17 between two optional ones of the five part recesses 14 a non-linear or non-straight run of the opening is provided. As is evident from FIG. 2, the openings 4 of FIG. 2 span an opening circle 18. Thus, it is also applicable to the openings 4 of FIG. 2 that an extension x of the openings 4 has a length equal to that of an extension y perpendicular thereto of the openings 4. Each of the openings 4 of FIG. 2 has five symmetry axes 22 of the opening. The part recesses 14 of FIG. 2 define five beams/spikes 24 for each opening 4. Otherwise, the description of FIG. 1 is applicable mutatis mutandis to FIG. 2.
(15) FIGS. 3 and 4 merely illustrate different further openings which are imaginable in accordance with the present invention. In FIG. 3 one serrated opening 26, one wave-shaped opening 28, three meander-shaped openings 30 are shown. In FIG. 4 one wave-shaped opening 28, three meander-shaped openings 30, five hook-shaped openings 32 and four cross-shaped openings 34 are shown. The cross-shaped openings 34 may or may not have rounded edges. All of the openings shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 may be provided to be evenly spread on the filter unit 2 according to aspects of the invention instead of the star-shaped/radiant openings of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. Also, different openings according to aspects of the invention may be provided on a filter unit 2. In other words, not all of the openings need to be identical, as this is the case in FIGS. 1 and 2.
(16) In FIG. 5 a cartridge 36 is illustrated which is preferably composed of a base component 40 and a cover component 42. The cartridge 36 has pipe socket-type connecting ports/connectors 44 forming a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet at two opposite axial ends. At each of the two connecting ports 44 filter units 2 are provided. The filter units 2 include the openings 4 shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 and enable fluid to flow and undissolved particles to be withheld. The cover component 42, the dedicated, upper connecting port 44 in FIG. 5 as well as the dedicated, upper filter unit 2 in FIG. 5 are manufactured as a one-piece component in one process step by injection molding. The base component 40, the dedicated, lower connecting port in FIG. 5 as well as the dedicated, lower filter unit 2 in FIG. 5 are equally manufactured as a one-piece component in one process step by injection molding.
(17) FIG. 6 illustrates a radiant or star-shaped opening 4 according to aspects of the invention which consists of five part recesses 14 and, respectively, five beams/spikes 24. The opening 4 of FIG. 6 is axially symmetric and has five symmetry axes 22 of the opening. A non-linear run of the opening is provided between two optional ones of the five part recesses 14 in a transition area 17. An outer contour of the opening 4 is rounded.
(18) FIG. 7 illustrates another radiant or star-shaped opening 4 according to aspects of the invention which consists of four part recesses 14 and, respectively, four beams/spikes 24. The opening 4 of FIG. 7 is formed to be axially symmetric having two axes of symmetry 22 and to be point-symmetric with respect to the center 16. Between two adjacent part recesses 14 perpendicular to each other a non-linear run of the opening is given in a transition area 17. An outer contour of the opening 4 is equally rounded. Furthermore, rounded transitions withdrawn at the outer contour are provided between two part recesses 14.
(19) FIG. 8 illustrates another radiant or star-shaped opening 4 according to aspects of the invention which consists of four part recesses 14 and, respectively, four beams/spikes 24. The opening 4 of FIG. 8 is asymmetric. All of the four part recesses 14 have different sizes and different outer dimensions, respectively. Thus, the part recesses 14 are not identical, but they extend, as this is also the case in the embodiments of FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, away from a common intersection/transition point 16, which in this case is no center, into two non-parallel directions. An outer contour of the opening 4 is equally rounded. Furthermore, at the outer contour also withdrawn rounded transitions are provided between two part recesses 14.
(20) A plurality of identical openings 4 but also a plurality of different openings 4 may be provided at the filter unit 2 of the present invention.
