GB2272745A

GB2272745A - Water trap

Info

Publication number: GB2272745A
Application number: GB9221322A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John Raymond Armstrong
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1992-11-16
Filing date: 1992-11-16
Publication date: 1994-05-25
Anticipated expiration: 2012-11-16
Also published as: GB9221322D0; GB2272745B

Abstract

A water trap for use in a respiratory airline comprises an upper connecting part 1 which has gas inlet and outlet ports 2, 3 and which houses a sealing 11, in a ball-valve chamber 4, so that when connected in-line in an upright position the ball falls into a lower seating 6 and prevents the gas from entering the atmosphere but also when the device is inverted the ball falls into an upper seating 12, thus also preventing the gas from entering the atmosphere. When a lower connecting part 8, which constitutes a reservoir, is fixed to form the complete water trap, the ball 11 is held off the lower seating by an upward protrusion 10 in the base of this lower part thus allowing drainage to occur continuously when the parts are united in use, the ball 11 being free to engage the upper sealing 12 in the event that the water trap is inverted. <IMAGE>

Description

AN AIRLINE WATER TRAP This invention relates to an airline water trap which is intended to collect condensed water vapour in a breathing circuit and to enclose and contain such liquid within its collection reservoir no matter what the orientation of the trap assembly.

Water trap assemblies in respiratory airlines are known in the prior art and well documented examples are to be found in U.S.4,#57,3O5 and G.B.2,244,790. The devices described therein function by allowing the airlines to drain back into a detachable reservoir which,when removed for liquid disposal purposes,allows a previously upheld sealing member to drop down into a bottom seal so that the gas flow in the line is neither interrupted or shunted to the atmosphere.Such devices operate well under good control conditions but carry in their operation the danger of collected liquid passing back into the airline,as a water plug or aliquot,if the assembly is upset from the vertical plane for any reason or of allowing the airline to shunt to the atmosphere if the top part of the trap assembly is upheld or displaced when the nurse is away emptying the reservoir.

Such hazards are eliminated in the present invention where there is provided a water trap comprising an upper connecting part which carries inlet and outlet ports to the gas flow system of the airline;a ball valve chamber with upper and lower ball seatings and a downward opening which is threaded to receive,and cause a seal with,a lower connecting part which is the reservoir of the assembly and which in addition to being a simple container carries, from its base,an upwardly pointing protrusion which displaces the sealing ball from its lower seating when the reservoir member is connected but which allows the ball to take up a sealing seat when the reservoir is disconnected and which does not at any time prevent the ball from falling back into a check position with the upper seating when the assembly is accidently inverted or upset.

A specific embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a diagramatic exploded view of the airline water trap.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the assembled water trap.

Figure 3 is a perspective sectional view of the assembled water trap.

Referring to the drawings the airline water trap comprises an upper connecting part 1 carrying inlet and outlet ports 2 and 3 which terminate in a ball valve chamber 4 whose base has a slip-over fit for a soft rubber seal 5 the configuration of which is such that its upper contour 6 is one ball seating which occupies the lower part of the chamber 4 and its lower contour is a truncated cone seal 7 which compresses into the reservoir 8,as a seal fit,when the upper part 1 is locked,bayonet fashions, into the screwed flare 9. When in use the gas enters and leaves the water trap assembly via the ports 2 and 3 and condensate can drain into the reservoir 8 because the protrusion 10 is of sufficient length to dislodge the ball 11 from its lower seating 6. Within the chamber 4 there is accomodated the upper flexible seal 12 and the ball 11 so that depending upon the orientation of the assembly, with the reservoir 8 removed, the ball 11 can be seated in a sealing position on the lower seal 6 or the upper seal 12. In the Figure 2 the slots 13 on each side of the top 1 are simply mouldings which are part of the bayonet cap type locking mechanism for the two parts 1 and 8.

The ball 11 is preferably solid and it can be soft or hard depending upon the polymer used in its manufacture. In practice it has been found that non-stick polymers like silicone rubber and PTFE,or their coatings,are useful for ball construction in the high relative humidities of the airline and water trap.

Claims

1. An airline water trap comprising an upper connecting part which carries inlet and outlet ports of the airline gas flow system,a ball in a ball-valve chamber with upper and lower ball seatings and a downward opening which is threaded to receive,and cause a seal with,a lower connecting part which is the drainage liquid reservoir of the assembly and which in addition to being a simple container carries, from its base,an upwardly pointing protrusion which displaces the sealing ball from its lower seating when the reservoir member is connected but which allows the ball to take up a sealing seat when the reservoir is disconnected and which does not at any time prevent the ball from falling back into a check position on an upper seating when the assembly is accidently inverted or upset.

2. An airline water trap according to Claim 1 characterised in that the upper connecting part and the lower connecting part unite in a sealing manner by inter 0 penetration followed by a 90 clockwise turn in the manner of a bayonet fitting.

3. An airline water trap according to Claim 2 characterised in that the sealing manner of the two parts is obtained on the outer periphery of a soft rubber or polymer moulding whose inner opening is also the lower seating of the sealing ball.

4. An airline water trap according to Claim 1 wherein the the ball seats,when the trap is inverted, on to a soft polymer seal so as to prevent re-entry of liquid drainage into the main airline.

5. An airline water trap according to Claim 4 inwhich the ball can seat directly into a precision orifice in the moulding of the upper part itself.

6. An airline water trap according to any of the above Claims wherein the sealing ball is moulded from a polymer, is preferably solid across its section, and has water repellant surface characteristics.

7. An airline water trap as described herein with particular reference to the accompanying drawings.