Medical connector

Claim 1

A system for feeding medication from a remote source through tubing means having one end securely connected to and in communication with a patient, said system including, a port means at a point upstream from said one end, said port means being formed by a first tubular wall element having an open end sealed by sealing means and being connected to a cap member having therein a needle which penetrates the sealing means on connection of the cap member to the port means to allow medication to flow from said source through the needle into said tubing means, said sealing means being of a self-sealing type so that holes produced in said sealing means by repeated penetration therethrough by said needle are closed off each time said needle is withdrawn from said sealing means, said cap member having a cavity therein formed by a tubular wall element which provides and open mouth with said needle being disposed lengthwise along the longitudinal axis of the said cavity, with said tip of said needle being displaced inwardly from said open mouth a sufficient distance to recess the needle deep within the cavity so that it is unlikely to be contaminated, said open mouth having a restricted diameter that prevents the tip of the little finger of a typical adult from being inserted into the cavity, said first tubular wall element of said port means being adapted to pass through said open mouth upon insertion of said port means into said cavity of said cap member, with said first and second wall elements being coaxially aligned and engaging in a male-female mating relationship as the port means enters said open mouth of said cavity, with the interior surface of said second wall element sliding over the exterior surface of said first wall element, said surfaces serving as guide means for directing said needle into the central portion of said sealing means so that said tip of said needle does not scrape particles from the inside surface of said first wall element, and means for detachably locking the cap member and port means together securely when said port means is inserted into the cavity, said locking means being adapted for repeated manual operation and and being of a snap-on type where locking is achieved by pushing the cap member over the port means without relative rotation between the cap member and port means, and including one locking element on the cap member, and another locking element on the port means, said locking elements interacting to lock together as the cap member is pushed over the port means.

Claim 2

A system for feeding medication from a remote source through tubing means having one end securely connected to and in communication with a patient, said system including, a port means at a point upstream from said one end, said port means being formed by a first tubular wall element having an open end sealed by sealing means and being connected to a cap member having therein a needle which penetrates the sealing means on connection of the cap member to the port means to allow medication to flow from said source through the needle into said tubing means, said sealing means being of a self-sealing type so that holes produced in said sealing means by repeated penetration therethrough by said needle are closed off each time said needle is withdrawn from said sealing means, said cap member having a cavity therein formed by a tubular wall element which provides and open mouth with said needle being disposed lengthwise along the longitudinal axis of the said cavity, with said tip of said needle being displaced inwardly from said open mouth a sufficient distance to recess the needle deep within the cavity so that it is unlikely to be contaminated, said open mouth having a restricted diameter that prevents the tip of the little finger of a typical adult from being inserted into the cavity, said first tubular wall element of said port means being adapted to pass through said open mouth upon insertion of said port means into said cavity of said cap member, with said first and second wall elements being coaxially aligned and engaging in a male-female mating relationship as the port means enters said open mouth of said cavity, with the interior surface of said second wall element sliding over the exterior surface of said first wall element, said surfaces serving as guide means for directing said needle into the central portion of said sealing means so that said tip of said needle does not scrape particles from the inside surface of said first wall element, and means for detachably locking the cap member and port means together securely when said port means is inserted into the cavity, said locking means being adapted for repeated manual operation and and being of a snap-on type where locking is achieved by pushing the cap member over the port means without relative rotation between the cap member and port means, and including one locking element on the cap member, and another locking element on the port means, said locking elements interacting to lock together as the cap member is pushed over the port means.