Artificial urethra

Claim 2

An elongate, tubular urethra catheter having an inner end and an outer end and adapted for positioning in the urethra canal of a user and having a passage therethrough for providing periodic bladder drainage periods; individually manually operable closure means supported on the catheter in spaced upstream and downstream positions for occluding the passage through the catheter at said positions; and means for sequentially operating the closure means to close the upstream closure means first and the downstream closure means second to provide a liquid and air seal in said passage at each of said positions and an air lock in said passage between said positions.

Claim 3

A device as defined in claim 1, said closure means comprising a pair of valves mounted in longitudinally spaced relation in said passage and individually movable between positions opening and closing the fluid passage; and said second named means mounted at the outer end of said catheter and connected to said valves for effecting selective opening and closing thereof, said valves in closed position providing said air lock.

Claim 4

A device as defined in claim 2, said second named means successively providing for opening of both valves to permit bladder evacuation, closing of the upstream valve to seal off the bladder while leaving the downstream valve open for clearing of fluid from said passage, and closing of the downstream valve to establish said air lock.

Claim 5

A device as defined in claim 1, said catheter comprising telescopically mounted tubular members, the outer of said members having a longitudinally extending bore and a valve seat therein adjacent its inner end; an inner of said members being mounted in said outer member bore and having a valve part movable into and out of engagement with said seat for controlling fluid flow therethrough, said valve seat and valve part providing one of said closure means; and a closure part demountably positionable in the outer end of said inner member bore and providing the other of said closure means.

Claim 6

A device as defined in claim 3, said catheter being formed with an imperforate elastic wall adjacent its inner end defining an expandable air chamber; third means providing an air passage communicating with said chamber and extending longitudinally of said catheter to adjacent the outer end thereof for pressurizing and expanding said chamber and wall into a protuberance for retaining said inner end in the bladder; and a check valve mounted in said air passage for retaining the pressurized expanded shape of said protuberance.

Claim 7

A device as defined in claim 5, said catheter comprising telescopically mounted tubular members, the outer of said members having a longitudinally extending bore and a valve seat therein adjacent its inner end; an inner of said members being mounted in said outer member bore and having a valve part movable into and out of engagement with said seat for controlling fluid flow therethrough, said inner member having a longitudinally extending bore and a second valve seat therein proximally of said first valve seat; and a second valve part mounted in said inner member bore for movement to and from said second seat for controlling fluid flow therethrough.

Claim 8

A device as defined in claim 5 and comprising a plurality of concentric, telescopically mounted and threadably attached tubular members having registered bores; the outer (first) of said members having a longitudinally extending bore and providing a fluid opening at the inner end of said catheter and having a first valve seat in its bore proximally of said opening; the adjacent interior (second) member having a valve part at its inner end movable to and from said seat for controlling fluid flow therethrough and having a longitudinally extending bore and a second valve seat in its bore proximally of said first valve seat; the next internally adjacent (third) member having a valve part at its inner end movable to and from said second seat for controlling fluid flow therethrough; and said first and third means being connected to said second and third members for selective rotation thereof relative to said first and second members respectively to effect the described valving action.

Claim 9

A device as defined in claim 7, said valve parts being secured to thier respective members by structure permitting fluid flow through said structure.

Claim 10

A device as defined in claim 8, said second and third members being dimensioned to position their outer ends extracorpreally, and said outer ends of said second and third members being offset longitudinally to provide individual manual engagement.

Claim 11

A device as defined in claim 9, and manually engageable handles provided on said outer ends of said second and third members.