Patent US5800339A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US5800339A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Urinary control valve
Assignee: Opticon Medical Inc
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Filing: 1997-05-02
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Granted: 1998-09-01
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Expires: 2017-05-02
Abstract
Abstract A disc-like valve element in a control valve includes an outer peripheral ring to which leaf elements are integrally connected having a thickness which increases uniformly from the entire outer peripheral ring to the axial center forming a conical shaped valve element when in a closed condition. The side of the valve element facing the inlet end of the chamber is preferably flat functioning as a funnel to discharge urine when the valve element is moved to an open condition. The increased thickness at the axial center of the valve element is preferably the result of the side of the valve element facing the outlet end of the valve chamber increasing in thickness from the ring laterally inwardly and longitudinally outwardly to maximize flexibility of the leaf elements adjacent the ring and sealing at the axial center.
Inventors
- 👤 Fouad A. Salama
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 05:52
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61F; A61F2/00; A61F2/0004; A61F2/0009; A61F5/00; A61F5/44; A61F5/451; A61F5/453; A61F2/02; A61F2/24; A61F2/2412; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S128/00; Y10S128/25
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 22
Claim 1
Independent Claim
146 words
A urinary control valve comprising, a flexible valve body having inlet and outlet openings at opposite ends of a chamber, a valve means extending laterally across said chamber between said inlet and outlet openings and having an axial center, said valve means having an outer peripheral edge and including a plurality of flexible leaf sections in a common plane and having contiguous inner edges defining a slit, said contiguous inner edges sealingly engaging each other when said valve means is in a closed position and spaced apart when in an open position, said leaf sections increase in thickness uniformly from the entire outer peripheral edge toward said axial center and said valve means adapted to move to said open position in response to pressure on opposite sides of said valve body and return to said closed position in response to memory of said flexible leaf sections.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
146 words
A urinary control valve comprising, a flexible valve body having inlet and outlet openings at opposite ends of a chamber, a valve means extending laterally across said chamber between said inlet and outlet openings and having an axial center, said valve means having an outer peripheral edge and including a plurality of flexible leaf sections in a common plane and having contiguous inner edges defining a slit, said contiguous inner edges sealingly engaging each other when said valve means is in a closed position and spaced apart when in an open position, said leaf sections increase in thickness uniformly from the entire outer peripheral edge toward said axial center and said valve means adapted to move to said open position in response to pressure on opposite sides of said valve body and return to said closed position in response to memory of said flexible leaf sections.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
33 words
The urinary control valve of claim 1 wherein said plurality of flexible leaf sections are defined as two flexible leaf sections which have opposed contiguous inner edges which extend substantially across said chamber.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
115 words
The urinary control valve of claim 2 wherein said valve body includes a urinary tube connected to said inlet opening, and an inflation tube is associated with said urinary tube and includes an inflatable balloon at one end and an inflation inlet opening means at its opposite end, said valve body having an outside wall surface and said opposite end having said inflation inlet opening means being positioned on the outside surface of said valve body at a point midway between the opposite ends of said slit in said valve element to provide a reference for locating said opposite ends of said slit for applying pressure to said valve body to open said valve means.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
63 words
The urinary control valve of claim 1 wherein said plurality of flexible leaf sections are defined as three flexible leaf sections of equal size and shape, said valve means is adapted to move to said open position in response to pressure on opposite sides of said valve means and return to said closed position in response to memory of said flexible leaf sections.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
45 words
The urinary control valve of claim 1 wherein said leaf sections have oppositely facing sides, and one of said sides is flat and the other side is tapered laterally inwardly and axially outwardly to provide said leaf means with increased thickness at its axial center.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
19 words
The urinary control valve of claim 5 wherein said tapered other side faces said outlet end of said chamber.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
27 words
The urinary control valve of claim 5 wherein the thickness of said leaf elements at said increased thickness axial center is between 0.031 inch and 0.095 inch.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
75 words
The urinary control valve of claim 5 wherein a urinary tube is connected to said inlet opening of said valve body, and said urinary tube being adapted to be positioned in a urethra, said tapered one side of said leaf sections faces toward said outlet opening in said valve body whereby the direction of said taper and the urine pressure on said flat side will cause said leaf sections to open towards said outlet opening.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
34 words
The urinary control valve of claim 1 wherein said leaf elements have oppositely facing sides which taper laterally inwardly and axially outwardly to provide said leaf means with increased thickness at its axial center.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
27 words
The urinary control valve of claim 9 wherein the thickness of said leaf sections at said increased thickness axial center is between 0.031 inch and 0.095 inch.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
53 words
The urinary control valve of claim 1 wherein said flexible leaf sections are positioned in and integral with a ring along its inner peripheral edge, said ring having an outer peripheral edge and opposite sides, and said chamber being defined by a chamber wall which is engaged by said ring outer peripheral edge.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
33 words
The urinary control valve of claim 11 wherein said chamber is formed by a pair of half chamber sections and said valve means is positioned at the intersection of said half chamber sections.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
30 words
The urinary control valve of claim 12 wherein an annular shoulder is provided in one of said half chamber sections and said valve means is positioned on said annular shoulder.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
74 words
The urinary control valve of claim 13 wherein said half chamber sections include outer peripheral edges, said one half chamber section outer peripheral edge being reduced in thickness to form said annular shoulder, and said other outer peripheral edge having a thickness allowing it to engage the other side of said ring and said outer peripheral edge of said one chamber half section to limit movement of said valve means ring within said chamber.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
36 words
The urinary control valve of claim 12 wherein an annular shoulder is provided in one of said half chamber sections and one side of said ring of said valve means is positioned on said annular shoulder.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
44 words
The urinary control valve of claim 15 wherein said half chamber sections include outer peripheral edges, one of said outer peripheral edges includes an outwardly extending annular rib received in an annular groove in the outer peripheral edge of said other half chamber section.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
31 words
The urinary control valve of claim 11 wherein said ring is thicker than the outer peripheral edge of said leaf sections whereby lateral outward propagation of said slit will be limited.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
24 words
The urinary control valve of claim 1 wherein said increase in thickness of said leaf sections at said axial center is approximately 0.016 inch.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
30 words
The urinary control valve of claim 1 wherein said outer periphery edge of said leaf sections is approximately 0.059 inches thick and said axial center is approximately 0.075 inches thick.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
33 words
The urinary control valve of claim 1 wherein a urinary tube is connected to said inlet opening of said valve body, and said urinary tube being adapted to be positioned in a urethra.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
16 words
The urinary control valve of claim 1 wherein said valve means is injection molded silicone material.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2001-08-31 | 2002-03-02 | 2002-09-01 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2005-08-31 | 2006-03-02 | 2006-09-01 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2009-08-31 | 2010-03-02 | 2010-09-01 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |