| US 7,591,449 B2 | ||
| Needleless access port valves | ||
| Kenneth C. Raines, Bethlehem, Pa. (US); Michael J. Janders, Northampton, Pa. (US); Peter Peppel, Nazareth, Pa. (US); and Benjamin J. Pascal, Allentown, Pa. (US) | ||
| Assigned to B. Braun Medical Inc., Bethlehem, Pa. (US) | ||
| Filed on Feb. 14, 2006, as Appl. No. 11/354,345. | ||
| Prior Publication US 2007/0191786 A1, Aug. 16, 2007 | ||
| Int. Cl. A61M 39/26 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 251—149.1 [604/34; 604/167.04] | 25 Claims |

| 1. A valve assembly comprising:
a piston positioned inside a valve housing; the valve housing having an interior cavity, a bottom opening, and an inlet nozzle
having an inlet opening and an interior wall surface; the piston comprising a flange, a neck section, a body section, and
a base; the piston further comprising:
a slit comprising an upper slit section, a first lower slit section and a second lower slit section, wherein the upper slit
section divides the neck section into a first piston neck section and a second piston neck section and wherein the first and
second lower slit sections are formed at an angle to a longitudinal axis and divide a lower part of the neck section into
an actuator, the actuator configured to push against the two lower slit sections to cause the upper slit section to open,
said slit extends through at least part of the neck section below the flange so that a fluid flow path is formed between the
slit and the interior wall surface of the valve housing; and
wherein the flange is in contact with the interior wall surface of the inlet nozzle to force at least a portion of the first
piston neck section and the second piston neck section into contact with one another.
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