GB2082288A

GB2082288A - Flow Control Valve

Info

Publication number: GB2082288A
Application number: GB8026901A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Craig Medical Products Ltd
Current assignee: Craig Medical Products Ltd
Priority date: 1980-08-18
Filing date: 1980-08-18
Publication date: 1982-03-03

Abstract

A flow control valve comprises a tubular body 10 having longitudinally slidable therein a valve member 12. The latter is formed by a tube having one end closed at 16 and an aperture 14 in a lateral wall of the tube near to the closed end. With such an arrangement, the valve member 12, being a sliding fit, can be moved longitudinally of the body 10 between a closed position in which the aperture 14 is obturated by the body 10 and an open position in which the aperture is exposed beyond the body, so allowing a fluid to enter the aperture, pass through the tubular valve member and leave the valve via the other end of the tube. Of course, the fluid path could equally well be in the reverse sense. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Flow Control Valve This invention relates to a flow control valve. A valve according to the invention is particularly although not exclusively intended for use as an outlet tap or valve on a night drainage or other bag for receiving fluids from the body of a person such as a patient in hospital. It would be desirable to provide a valve which can easily be fitted to a bag during manufacture, while involving a minimum of extra manufacturing steps, the valve being of simple and reliable construction and easy to operate.

According to the invention, there is provided a flow control valve comprising a tubular body having longitudinally slidable therein a valve member formed by a tube having one end closed and an aperture in a lateral wall of the tube near to the closed end.

With such an arrangement, the valve member, being a sliding fit, can be moved longitudinally of the body between a closed position in which the aperture is obturated by the body and an open position in which the aperture is exposed beyond the body, so allowing a fluid to enter the aperture, pass through the tubular valve member and leave the valve via the other end of the tube. Of course, the fluid path could equally well be in the reverse sense.

The tubular valve member may have a laterally outwardly extending flange which serves two purposes, firstly to enable a user to grip the valve member and secondly as a stop to limit the extent to which the valve member can be slid inwardly of the body.

The body preferably has a serrated or ridged outer surface. This is to facilitate its tight insertion in a suitable tubular housing attached to (e.g.) a night drainage bag. The body may also have a laterally outwardly extending flange to limit the extent of such an insertion.

In a particular illustrative construction according to the invention, the housing may define an elbow bend (e.g. of 900) and may have a flat flange integral therewith at one end, so that the housing can readily be welded to a wall of a bag, the bag wall and the housing both then being made of a heat-weldable synthetic plastics material.

Alternatively, the housing may be a straight cylindrical tube which is secured to the bottom edge of a bag.

A non-limiting example of the invention will now be particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:~ Figure 1 is an axial section through one example of flow control valve according to the invention; Figure 2 is a part elevation of a valve according to the invention attached to the drainage bag; and Figure 3 shows a housing for the valve.

The flow control valve illustrated in Figure 1 has a generally cylindrical body 10 and a tubular valve member 12. The valve member 12 is a sliding fit in the body and has an aperture 14 near its upper end. It has a closure 16 at its upper end.

The valve meber 12 has a laterally outwardly extending flange 18 near its lower end 20, which is open and constitutes the exit port of the valve.

The aperture 14 constitutes the valve inlet port and this is obturated to close the valve when the valve member 12 is slid downwardly so that the closure 1 6 abuts the top edge 22 of the body.

The external surface of the body 10 has annular serrations 24 which serve to facilitate fixing the body 10 into a suitable housing, and the body has a laterally extending flange 26 which serves as a limit stop, engaging the flange 18 when the valve member is its fully upward position.

Although the foregoing description has used the terms "upper" and "lower" it will be appreciated that this is purely for convenience and brevity and the valve could equally be mounted in any other orientation.

The illustrated valve consists of only two parts and both may readily be made by conventional moulding techniques from a suitable synthetic plastics material. The operation of the valve is simple and reliable and the valve has substantially no corners or convoluted portions where, for example, urine could collect or bacteria could flourish.

Figure 2 illustrates a valve according to the invention fitted to a drainage bag. The bag has front and rear walls formed by respective sheets of plastics material, the front wall being shown at 40. The walls are joined by a peripheral weld 42, and have a downward extension 44 which defines a sump region of the bag. A housing 46, seen best in Figure 3, is of elbow-bend shape and has a flange 48 at one end. The surface 50 of the flange 48 is welded in face-to-face manner to the bag wall 40. The valve body 10 is inserted in the straight tubular part 52 of the housing 46, as seen in Figure 2, whereupon the serations on the outside of the body hold the valve body in the housing. In Figure 2 the valve member and its flange are seen at 12A and 18A respectively.

An advantage of the construction illustrated in Figures 2 and 3 is that the valve housing 46 can be fixed in a permanent and leakproof manner to the bag in the same welding operation which effects the peripheral edge weld of the bag.

In an alternative construction, the housing may be a straight tube and can be disposed between the bag walls at a lower region thereof, and secured, for example, by adhesive.

While it has been mentioned that the outer surface of the valve body is provided with annular ridges or serrations it will be realised that equivalent structure could equally well be provided to achieve a secure fixing in the housing, without departing from the invention. Other modifications will occur to the man skilled in the art.

Referring now again to Figure 1 , the tubular part 52 may be provided with an inwardly extending integral resilient skirt, extending completely round the tube, and which has an internal diameter slightly less than the outside diameter of the valve member 12. This skirt, in operation, resiliently encircles and bears upon the external cylindrical surface of the valve member 12 and so improves liquid sealing between the body 10 and member 12. The skirt is not shown in Figures 1-3.

Claims

1. A flow control valve comprising a tubular body having longitudinally slidable therein a valve member formed by a tube having one end closed and an aperture in a lateral wall of the tube near to the closed end.

2. A valve according to claim 1 in which the valve member has a laterally outwardly extending flange which serves two purposes, firstly to enable a user to grip the valve member and secondly as a stop to limit the extent to which the valve member can be slid inwardly of the body.

3. A valve according to claim 1 or 2 in which the body preferably has a serrated or ridged outer surface to facilitate its tight insertion in a suitable tubular housing attached to (e.g.) a night drainage bag.

4. A valve according to claim 1, 2 or 3 including a laterally outwardly extending flange on the body to limit the extent of insertion of the valve body into a housing on a night drainage bag.

5. A valve according to any preceding claim in which the housing defines an elbow bend (e.g. of 900) and has a flat flange integral therewith at one end, so that the housing'can readily be welded to a wall of a bag.

6. A valve according to any preceding claim in which the tubular valve body has an inwardly extending resilient sealing skirt arranged to bear upon the external surface of the valve member.

7. A valve substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in Figure 1, or Figs. 2 and 3 of the accompanying drawings.