WO2002091963A1

WO2002091963A1 - A tap

Info

Publication number: WO2002091963A1
Application number: PCT/GB2002/002244
Authority: WO
Inventors: Richard John Hunter; Andrew James Ledgeway
Original assignee: Coloplast A/S
Priority date: 2001-05-14
Filing date: 2002-05-14
Publication date: 2002-11-21
Also published as: GB0111759D0

Abstract

The invention relates to a tap for use in drainage of fluids in medical applications, the tap (1) comprising a body (2), a control member (3) with a through bore (4) mounted in the body (2) for rotation between a position for flow of fluid and a position which prevents flow of fluid, and operating means (5) for rotating the control member (3), wherein a part (6) of the body (2) is moveable to impede operation of the operating means (5) thereby preventing rotation of the control member (3).

Description

A TAP

The invention relates to a tap, and in particular to the kind of tap adapted for use in drainage of bodily fluids. The invention further relates to a urine drainage bag including such a tap and apparatus for delivery or drainage of fluids including such a tap.

Taps are used in a wide variety of applications, and in some of them, a problem which has been experienced with taps of known design is that whilst it is necessary to provide some form of handle which is easy for the user to grip and operate, such handles generally protrude some distance from the body of the tap itself, making the tap bulky and awkward in storage and use and making inadvertent operation a possibility. One area where this problem is particularly acute is that of urine drainage apparatus, where a patient who is catheterised has a drainage bag for collection of urine, which is provided with a tap to enable it to be easily emptied. The tap is customarily connected to the bag in a length of tubing close to the person's body and this can give rise to problems in the case where the tap has a projecting lever arm. The projecting lever arm may press into the person's body and may be inadvertently snagged and operated by being caught on bed clothing, sleeping apparel, or on the clothing of people such as nurses passing by or standing near a patient using urine drainage apparatus.

A number of solutions have been suggested to this problem. For example taps including devices whereby the lever arm remains closely adjacent the tubing in both the open and closed positions. Such a tap is shown in EP-A-0580384, while another tap, shown in US-A-48444115 which relies on a spigot and socket kind of arrangement, always has a projection in the form of the spigot to cause snagging. The illustrated devices also involve relatively complicated mechanisms which are expensive to manufacture and also difficult to clean.

This invention seeks to mitigate problems such as these.

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a tap for use in medical applications, comprising a body, a control member with a through bore mounted in the body for rotation between a position for flow of fluid and a position which prevents flow of fluid, and operating means for rotating the control member, wherein a part of the body is moveable to impede operation of the operating means thereby preventing rotation of the control member.

This arrangement eliminates the problem of inadvertent operation of the tap, without requiring complex mechanisms.

It is preferred that the part is moveable by sliding, and that the part is moveable in a direction substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of the control member. This provides for a positive engagement.

The body may include a channel within which the part is retained for movement. It is preferred that the part includes a surface which is complementary in shape to a surface of the operating means.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a tap for use in medical applications, comprising a body, a control member with a through bore mounted in the body for rotation between a position for flow of fluid and a position which prevents flow of fluid, and operating means for operating the control member, wherein the operating means is moveable to a position where rotation of the control member by the operating means is prevented by a part of the body.

The part of the body may comprise a recess in an outer surface thereof and the recess may correspond substantially in shape to a part of the operating means.

The entry to the recess may be positioned such that entry thereto by the operating means can occur when the operating means is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the tap. This provides a secure design which makes inadvertent operation unlikely.

The operating means may include a lever which is moveable as by sliding to engage the body to prevent rotation of the control member. Alternatively the operating means may include a lever which is moveable as by pivoting to engage the body to prevent rotation of the control member.

Alternatively the operating means may include a lever with a detent adapted to cooperate with a part of the body. The detent may be adapted to cooperate with the recess.

As a further alternative the operating means may include a lever including a tab adapted to contact a part of the body.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided a urine drainage bag, mcluding a tap as defined herein above.

The invention will further be described by way of example, and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of a first embodiment of tap according to the invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the tap of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the tap of Figure 1 in operation;

Figure 4 is a further perspective view of the tap of Figure 1 in operation;

Figure 5 is a side view of a second embodiment of tap according to the invention;

Figure 6 is a plan view of the tap of Figure 5;

Figure 7 is an end view of the tap of Figure 5;

Figure 8 is a sectional view along line A-A in Figure 6;

Figure 8a is an exploded view of the sectional view shown in Figure 8;

Figure 9 is a schematic illustration of the tap of Figure 5 in use;

Figure 10 is a further schematic illustration of the tap of Figure 5 in use;

Figure 11 is a plan view of the tap of Figure 5 in a locked position;

Figure 12 is a plan view of the tap of Figure 5 in a closed position; Figure 13 is a plan view of the tap of Figure 5 in operation between the closed position and open position;

Figure 14 is a plan view of the tap of Figure 5 in the open position;

Figure 15 is an exploded perspective view of a third embodiment of tap according to the invention;

Figure 16 is a perspective view of the tap of Figure 15 in a locked position;

Figure 17 is a perspective view of the tap of Figure 15 in a unlocked position;

Figure 18 is a perspective view of the tap of Figure 15 in operation;

Figure 19 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of tap according to the invention in an unlocked position;

Figure 20 is a perspective view of the tap of Figure 19 in operation;

Figure 21 is a perspective illustration of the tap of Figure 19 in the locked position;

Figure 22 is a view of the tap shown in Figure 19 showing the underside of the lever;

Figure 23 is a fourth embodiment of tap according to the invention;

Figure 24 is a perspective view of the tap of Figure 23 in operation; and Figure 25 is a perspective view of the tap of Figure 23 in an open position.

Referring to Figures 1 to 4 there is illustrated a tap 1 for use in drainage of fluids in medical applications, the tap 1 one comprising a body 2, a control member 3 with a through bore 4 mounted in the body 2 for rotation between a position for flow of fluid and a position which prevents flow of fluid, and operating means 5 for rotating the control member 3, wherein a part 6 of the body 2 is moveable to impede operation of the operating means 5 thereby preventing rotation of the control member 3.

As illustrated in for example Figures 8 and 8a, the basic components of the tap 1 and their operation are well known in the art. The body 2 includes a generally cylindrical upstream inlet 7 and a generally cylindrical downstream outlet 8 between which is positioned a wider diameter cylinder 9, with bore 10 positioned normal to the bores of the inlet and outlet and in fluid communication therewith. The bore 10 contains the rotatable control member 3 in the form of a solid cylinder dimensioned to fit snugly within bore 10 for rotation therein and which itself includes a through bore 3 a which can be aligned with the inlet and outlet 7,8 for fluid flow therebetween. The operating means 5 and control member 3 operate via a lost motion connection such that in both the open and closed positions of the tap the operating means 5 is positioned substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the tap. These features are well known in the art and will not be described further here.

Referring again to Figures 1 to 4, as mentioned, the body 2 is cylindrical, however a part of the surface of the cylinder 9 is removed leaving a flat surface at one point between the inlet and outlet. The flat area produced is provided with a groove 11 running transverse to the longimdinal axis of the tap 1. The groove 11 has undercuts 12. A part 6 which comprises a rectangular plate corresponding in size and shape to the part of the surface which was removed, and has a curved upper surface 13 and a "T"-shaped projection 14 is slideable within groove 11, the head of the "T" cooperating with the undercuts 12 of the groove 11.

In use, as will be apparent from the Figures the plate 6 can be moved as by sliding transverse to the longitudinal axis of the tap within the groove 11 to impede rotation of the operating means 5 thereby preventing rotation of the control member 3. To render the tap operable, the part 6 is simply slid in the opposite direction. As the part 6 corresponds in shape and size to the part removed from the surface of the cylinder 9, a compact and relatively smooth profile is retained.

Referring to Figures 5 to 14 there is illustrated a tap 1 for use in drainage of fluid in medical applications, the tap 1 comprising a body 2, a control member 3 with a through bore 4 mounted in the body 2 for rotation between a position for flow of fluid and a position which prevents flow of fluid, and operating means 5 for rotating the control member 3, wherein the operating means 5 is moveable to a position where rotation of the control member 3 by the operating means is prevented by a part 15a of the body 2.

As will be appreciated, the tap 1 is substantially the same as the tap illustrated in the previous embodiment. In this embodiment however the body 2 is provided with a recess 15 on the outer surface of the downstream outlet 8. The recess 15 is defined by a generally "U"-shaped wall and is positioned such that its entrance lies substantially on the longitudinal axis of the tap 1. The operating means 5 comprises a lever which is attached to the control member such that it can slide normal to the axis of rotation thereof. As illustrated in particular in Figure 11, the operating lever 5 can be slid into engagement with the recess 15 so that rotation is prevented. Sliding the lever 5 in the opposite direction frees it for rotation to open the tap 1.

Referring to Figures 15 to 18, a further variation of tap 1 is illustrated which is similar to the previous embodiments. In this embodiment, instead of the lever 5 being slideable to enter the recess 15, it is attached to the control member 3 by a pivot point 16, about which it can be pivoted or rocked into and out of the recess 15 for locking and unlocking the tap 1 against rotation via wall 15a.

Referring to Figures 19 to 22 a still further embodiment of tap 1 according to the invention is illustrated. Again, as in the previous embodiments the tap itself is of well known design. However, in this embodiment the operating means 5 is a lever which has a surface 20 (Figure 22) adjacent the body 2 which includes a depression or groove 21 adjacent one edge. The groove 21 is provided with a detent 17 at one end which is placed to cooperate with a recess 15 on the body 2. The recess 15 in this embodiment is defined by raised wall 15a with respect to the surface of the body 2, the wall 15a extending into the groove 21. When the lever 5 is moved into a position where the detent 17 and recess 15 are brought together the detent 17 rides over the surface of the body 2, partly by virtue of the inherent resilience of the material from which the tap is made until it seats in the recess 15. A positive action is required to free the detent 17 from the recess 15.

Referring to Figures 23 to 25 a further embodiment of tap according to the invention is illustrated in which the lever 5 is provided at its distal end with a tab 18 which protrudes transversely to the longitudinal axis of the tap 1 and thereby fails on the body of the tap preventing further rotation of the lever 5.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A tap for use in medical applications, the tap comprising a body, a control member with a through bore mounted in the body for rotation between a position for flow of fluid and a position which prevents flow of fluid, and operating means for rotating the control member, wherein a part of the body is moveable to impede operation of the operating means thereby preventing rotation of the control member.

2. A tap according to claim 1, the part being moveable by sliding.

3. A tap according to claim 1 or claim 2, the part being moveable in a direction substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of the control member.

4. A tap according to any preceding claim, the body including a channel within which the part is retained for movement.

5. A tap according to any preceding claim, the part including a surface which is complementary in shape to a surface of the operating means.

6. A tap for use in medical applications, the tap comprising a body, a control member with a through bore mounted in the body for rotation between a position for flow of fluid and a position which prevents flow of fluid, and operating means for operating the control member, wherein the operating means is moveable to a position where rotation of the control member by the operating means is prevented by a part of the body.

7. A tap according to claim 6, the part of the body comprising a recess in an outer surface thereof.

8. A tap according to claim 8, the recess corresponding substantially in shape to a part of the operating means.

9. A tap according to claim 7 or claim 8, the entry to the recess being positioned such that entry thereto by the operating means can occur when the operating means is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the tap.

10. A tap according to any of claims 6 to 9, the operating means including a lever which is moveable as by sliding to prevent rotation of the control member.

11. A tap according to any of claims 6 to 9, the operating means including a lever which is moveable as by pivoting to prevent rotation of the control member.

12. A tap according to any of claims 6 to 9, the operating means including a lever having a groove positioned to cooperate with a raised part of the body, the lever including a detent positioned to cooperate with a recess of the raised part.

13. A tap according to claim 12 when dependent on any of claims 7 to 9, the detent being adapted to cooperate with the recess.

14. A tap according to claim 6, the operating means including a lever including a tab adapted to contact a part of the body.

15. A tap, substantially as hereinbefore described, with reference to the accompanying drawings.