Administration equipment

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR INTRAVENOUS ADMINISTRATION OF FLUID, SAID APPARATUS INCLUDING A FLEXIBLE TUBE HAVING A NEEDLE ADAPTER AT ONE END THEREOF AND A DRIP METER AT THE OTHER, SAID TUBE HAVING CLAMPING MEANS THEREON SEALING SAID TUBE AGAINST PASSAGE OF FLUID, SAID DRIP METER INCLUDING A TRANSPARENT VESSEL HAVING AN ADAPTER ON A FIRST END THEREOF SECURED TO SAID FLEXIBLE TUBE, WHEREBY TO PROVIDE FOR LIQUID-TIGHT COMMUNICATION BETWEEN SAID TUBE AND METER, AND A SECOND OPPOSITE END HAVING A CLOSURE MEMBER THEREON ADAPTED FOR USE WITH A PIERCEABLE STOPPER MOUNTED IN THE MOUTH OF A FLASK OF FLUID TO BE ADMINISTERED, SAID CLOSURE MEMBER FOR SAID DRIP METER HAVING A FIRST PASSAGE EXTENDING THERETHROUGH WHEREBY TO PROVIDE COMMUNICATION WITH THE INTERIOR OF SAID TRANSPARENT VESSEL, SAID CLOSURE MEMBER FOR SAID DRIP METER HAVING A SECOND PASSAGE EXTENDING FROM ONE SIDE THEREOF PARTIALLY THROUGH SAID CLOSURE MEMBER AND EXTENDING TOWARD THE SAID FIRST PASSAGE, SAID SECOND PASSAGE TERMINATING IN AN ORIFICE ADJACENT THE SIDE OF SAID CLOSURE, SAID ORIFICE BEING NORMALLY EXPOSED TO THE ATMOSPHERE WHEREBY TO PROVIDE AN AIR PASSAGE INTEGRAL WITH THE SAID CLOSURE MEMBER EXTENDING FROM A POINT ADJACENT ONE SIDE OF SAID CLOSURE MEMBER TO THE TOP OF SAID CLOSURE MEMBER, SAID DRIP METER CLOSURE MEMBER HAVING ON THE EXTERIOR END THEREOF AN UPRIGHT MEMBER OF SMALL CROSS-SECTION HAVING AN END THEREON ADAPTED FOR PIERCING, THE SAID PASSAGES EXTENDING THROUGH THE SAID UPRIGHT MEMBER LONGITUDINALLY THEREOF AND THROUGH THE SAID END ADAPTED FOR PIERCING; A PIERCEABLE STOPPER IN SEALING ENGAGEMENT ABOUT SAID UPRIGHT MEMBER ON SAID CLOSURE MEMBER; AND A TRANSPARENT FLASK CONTAINING FLUID TO BE ADMINISTERED, THE MOUTH OF SAID FLASK BEING SEALED BY SAID STOPPER AND SAID ASSOCIATED UPRIGHT MEMBER, SAID FLASK AND SAID DRIP METER BEING BOTH UNDER A PARTIAL VACUUM RELATIVE TO THE OUTSIDE ATMOSPHERE, THE HEIGHT OF SAID FLASK AND THE LENGTH OF SAID UPRIGHT MEMBER BEING SO PROPORTIONED THAT THE SAID PIERCING END OF THE SAID MEMBER EXTENDS ONLY SLIGHTLY BEYOND THE STOPPER SEALING THE MOUTH OF THE SAID FLASK AND ONLY A SMALL FRACTION OF THE DISTANCE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SAID FLASK, THE SAID FIRST AND SECOND PASSAGES BEING OF SUCH A SIZE AT THEIR MOST RESTRICTED POINTS AND THE VACUUM PRE-EXISTING WITHIN SAID FLASK BEING SUCH THAT WHEN THE SAID FLEXIBLE TUBE IS TEMPORARILY OBSTRUCTED, AND SAID UPRIGHT MEMBER PIERCES SAID STOPPER WHILE THE SAID FLASK IS IN AN INVERTED POSITION, THE AIR PRESSURE WITHIN THE SAID TRANSPARENT VESSEL IS DECREASED SUFFICIENTLY THAT FLUID IS DRAWN FROM THE SAID FLASK AND FILLS THE SAID VESSEL ABOUT HALFWAY.